What is C Language? Basic Introduction and History

The C programming language is a computer programming language that was developed to do system programming for the operating system UNIX and is an imperative programming language. It is a procedural language, which means that people can write their programs as a series of step-by-step instructions.

The c language is a low-level programming language. The language is more easy to learn.The c language is use to embedded system because c language is stand-alone language.


Why C language is so important?

Although numerous computer languages are used for writing computer applications, the computer programming language, C, is the most popular language worldwide.Everything from microcontrollers to operating systems is written in C since it’s very flexible and versatile, allowing maximum control with minimal commands. If you are interested in a career in computer programming, it would be wise to start by learning the C programming language.

There are numerous benefits from learning C; however, the most important benefit is that the C programming language is recognized worldwide and used in a multitude of applications, including advanced scientific systems and operating systems. In today’s world, a computer programmer needs to be able to communicate with colleagues in different countries. Therefore it’s important that even if they don’t speak the same verbal language, at least the computer language is understandable to all.

Let us see the importance and uses of C language. C language is so important because of the following reson:-

  • Oracle is written in C
  • Core libraries of android are written in C
  • MySQL is written in C
  • Almost every device driver is written in C
  • Major Part of web browser is written in  C
  • Unix operating system is developed in C
  • C is the World's most popular programming language

FOR STUDENTS:-

  • C is important to build programming skill
  • C covers basic features of all programming language
  • Campus recruitment process
  • C is the most popular language for Hardware dependent programming


Why learn C Language?

As we read earlier, 'C' is a base language for many programming languages. So, learning 'C' as the main language will play an important role while studying other programming languages. It shares the same concepts such as data types, operators, control statements and many more. C code is simple, elegant and wicked fast; it's compact and efficient. Because C has raw pointers, bitwise operators, and the keywords: extern, volatile, static, and register—meaning you'll understand more about writing efficient code than you can glean from any higher level language.

C' contains 32 keywords, various data types and a set of powerful built-in functions that make programming very efficient.

'C' can be used widely in various applications. It is a simple language and provides faster execution. There are many jobs available for a 'C' developer in the current market.

Various compilers are available in the market that can be used for executing programs written in this language.

It is a highly portable language which means programs written in 'C' language can run on other machines. This feature is essential if we wish to use or execute the code on another computer.


HISTORY OF C LANGUAGE

C programming language was developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie at bell laboratories of AT&T (American Telephone & Telegraph), located in the U.S.A. Dennis Ritchie is known as the founder of the c language. It was developed to overcome the problems of previous languages such as B, BCPL, etc.

Martin Richards Developer of BCPL (Basic Combined Programming Language) in 1966.

Ken Thompson was the developer of B language in 1969 and also developer of UNIX operating system.

He also developed first master level chess called Belle in 1980.




SUMMARY

  • 'C' was developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972.
  • It is a low programming level language close to machine language
  • It is widely used in the software development field.
  • It is a procedure and structure-oriented language.
  • It has the full support of various operating systems and hardware platforms.
  • Many compilers are available for executing programs written in 'C'.
  • A compiler compiles the source file and generates an object file.
  • A linker links all the object files together and creates one executable file.
  • It is highly portable.