Introduction to C Language

Summary: this tutorial helps you get started with C language, its history, key features, and applications.

What is C language

By definition, C is a general-purpose and procedural programming language.

  • General-purpose – C language is designed for developing software that applies in a wide range of application domains.
  • Procedural – C program is a set of functions. Each function performs a specific task. In the C program, functions are called in sequence to make the program works as designed.

Who invented the C language

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Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie

Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie developed C language in the 1970s at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey for developing the UNIX operating system.

Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie was known as the father of the C language. Together with his colleague, Ken Thompson, they developed the UNIX operating system. Ritchie was a computer scientist who helped shape the digital era.

Applications of C

During the 1980s, C language was a popular language for developing software designed specifically for personal computers with UNIX systems.

Since then, it rapidly spread to the mainframe. By using the C language, programmers could develop very compact and efficient; C programs were also easy to modify and adapt to new computer models. This is why C was a preferred language for developing word processing programs, databases, spreadsheets, and other software products.

Today, you can easily find software programs written in C in many embedded systems. C is used to program software for many microprocessors found in cameras, automobiles, phones, and other smart devices.

C language key features

The main key features of C language are listed as follows:

  • Capable of operating very closed to the machine. In C, you can manipulate data at a very low level, such as direct memory address.
  • Efficiency. C programs are smaller and run faster than programs written in languages such as C++, Java, or C#.
  • Portable source code. If you have a compiler for C in a specific platform, the C program will operate properly on that platform. You can find compilers for almost all platforms. In addition, the design of the C language makes it easy to port existing programs to a new platform.

Recently many new languages have been invented such as C++, Java, C#, etc. However, the C language is still a good choice among developers for system programming, especially for embedded software.

The efficiency of C also allows programmers to develop robust and powerful software including database management systems and graphics software.

C related languages

C++ was the first language that added object-oriented enhancements to the C language. Later, C++ became a standard. C++ is also a prevalent language that many C programmers choose to work with after C.

Apple® developed Objective-C that also adds object-oriented features on top of C for developing applications on OS X for macOS and iOS for iPhone, iPad and other Apple’s products. Some Objective-C’s syntaxes are identical to C.

Is learning C difficult?

The answer is NO. The C programming language is not difficult to learn. And once you master the C language, you can write so many system software.

We hope that you can get the most out of our C tutorials to master C by yourself with ease and fun. Happy programming!

Summary

  • C is a general-purpose and procedure programming language invented in 1970.
  • C is suitable for system programming such as operating systems, database sysems, graphic software. game engines.
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