[ntrz]

How does the man page's "size_t fread(void *ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, FILE *stream);" disagree with the GP's "fread(buf, size_of_item, number_of_items, file_ptr)"? Both seem to support that "fread(buf, N-1, 1, f);" is "telling it to read one item of size N-1".

[theteapot]

Oh it doesn't. Sorry. Too early not enough sleep to be commenting ...