The past week I braved into the realm of the C language. I started with the C tutorial on w3schools.com, and I found myself uncovering something pivotal: C isn’t just a programming language — it’s the bedrock upon which many modern languages are built. Realizing this reshaped how I view the programming landscape.

Having previously studied some Python and Swift, I was already familiar with the concepts and syntax of programming languages. However, many things had seemed abstract, as if they were building upon something I didn’t yet fully understand. Last week, those gaps started to close. As I went through the C tutorial, I began to see how the other languages rely on its fundamentals.

In hindsight, I would start with C if I wanted to enter the world of programming. Much like learning a classical language before its modern descendants, it would have given me a clearer understanding from the outset. Now, after exploring it a bit, I have a stronger appreciation for the architecture and logic that many programming languages share. That being said, I can’t claim to have learned much about C. I’ve only just scratched the surface. However, I do feel I’ve gained a general sense of its principles.

But my exploration isn’t stopping there. With a general understanding of C, I’m shifting focus toward a practical challenge now: understanding how a touchpad works. My touchpad functions smoothly on Debian, but fails to do so on Haiku. This week, I’ll begin by studying how the touchpad operates on Debian. I want to understand its internal workings, from how it detects and processes movement to how the driver communicates with the system.

This exploration is crucial for what comes next. After I gain insight into how my touchpad functions within Debian, my next step will be to dive into the kernel structure of Haiku. Only after I fully grasp how everything works in Debian can I begin to understand why my touchpad doesn’t work on Haiku. This, I hope, will allow me to approach the problem with knowledge and context. I’m really excited for what’s next. Each step forward feels like connecting pieces of a larger puzzle.