jim wrote:

> I am posting here more out of sheer desperation than in any hopes of
> actually getting an answer.
>
> I've been in enough Linux groups to know that the best things they are
> for is accusing those trying to adopt Linux more of being trolls,
> bashing Microsoft and praising Linux - while offering ****ed little in
> the way of actual help to anyone that asks.
>
> Do I want help? *****ed right.
>
> Will I get it here? *I don't think it exists.

You have been offered help by several of those subscribed to the
newsgroups on which your posts appear. If however, as you earlier
stated, you need help with a specific problem with software written
in 'C'.

> ... Well, not really. I offered to help where I could (sacrificing a
> goat, providing beer or money) but was told that the only help needed
> was to fix the code. Unfortunately for me, I don't know C coding...

The solution seems to be beyond that that can be offered by someone on
one of the newsgroups you are posting to. You do not, as far as I can
see, specify the software that you consider needs to be re-written. The
answer to your problem, with this piece of unspecified software, you
have already diagnosed, you need a software engineer/consultant/coder
to rewrite the code. As it seems to be essential to your business to
have this done, then what you need to do is find someone to do this for
you. You will have to pay them the current rate for that kind of work.
You are probably right in that that kind of 'help' is not offered on
any of the newsgroups on which your posts are propagated.

The apparent answer to your problem seems be that you need to find a
software engineer/consultant/coder. You could not do this for Microsoft
Software as such a software engineer/consultant/coder would have no
access to the source code. With FOSS the source code to the software
you have problems with is available. All you need to do is employ
someone with the skills you lack, to make the software suit your needs,
the resultant modified software can then be published for the benefit
of others.

--
Nemo
"Feather-footed through the plashy fen passes the questing vole"