Introduction to C Programming Language
C is a high-level programming language that was developed in the 1970s by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs. It is a widely-used programming language for developing software applications in various domains, such as operating systems, embedded systems, and scientific computing. C is known for its efficiency, speed, and low-level memory manipulation capabilities.
C is a structured programming language that allows developers to write clear, concise, and modular code. It has a simple syntax and a relatively small set of keywords, making it easy to learn and use.
C has influenced many other programming languages, such as C++, Java, and Python, and is still widely used today. Learning C is a great way to develop a deeper understanding of how computers work, as well as a valuable skill for software developers looking to create fast and efficient programs.
C Programming Language has been consistantly ranked higher in the Refer: Current ranking of C Programming Language
Facts about C Programming Language
C is often taught in computer science courses as a first language because of its simplicity and its ability to teach fundamental programming concepts.
The name "C" came from its predecessor language, called "B". Dennis Ritchie wanted to name the new language after the next letter in the alphabet, which was "C".
C was developed for the purpose of creating the Unix operating system, which is still widely used today.
C was originally developed for use on the DEC PDP-11 computer, which had only 8K of memory. The first C compiler was written in assembly language, and it took up more than 4 kilobytes of memory.
The first edition of "The C Programming Language" by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie is still considered the definitive guide to C programming.
Most Databases like RDBMS MySQL, and IOT (Internet of things) devices have been written in C
Most compilers, like GNU gcc and Emdedded devices are programmed in C
C Language Standards
There are several standards for the C programming language:
C89 or C90: This is the first official standard for C, published in 1989 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It is also known as ANSI C or ISO C.
C99: This is a revision of the C standard, published in 1999 by ISO. It includes several new features such as variable-length arrays, flexible array members, and designators in initializers.
C11: This is the latest revision of the C standard, published in 2011 by ISO. It includes several new features such as anonymous structures, improved Unicode support, and _Alignas and _Alignof operators.
C18: This is another revision of the C standard, published in 2018 by ISO. It includes several new features such as inline variables, _Static_assert, and _Noreturn function specifier.
There are also several other extensions and variations of the C programming language, such as Microsoft's C/C++ compiler, which includes additional features not found in the standard C language.
Summary
| Standard | Year Published | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| C89/C90 (ANSI C/ISO C) | 1989 | First official standard for C |
| C99 | 1999 | Variable-length arrays, flexible array members, designators in initializers |
| C11 | 2011 | Anonymous structures, improved Unicode support, _Alignas and _Alignof operators |
| C18 | 2018 | Inline variables, _Static_assert, _Noreturn function specifier |