Matthew Hagerty <mhagerty(at)voyager(dot)net> writes:
> I take this to mean that each descriptor set contains n descriptors
No. nfds is the length (in bits) of the bit arrays passed to select().
Therefore, it is possible to inquire about descriptors numbered between
0 and nfds-1. One sets the bits corresponding to the interesting
descriptors before calling select, and then examines those bits to see
if they're still set on return.
The code you quoted is perfectly correct, for code that is only
interested in one descriptor.
regards, tom lane