Introduction to C Programming Language
C is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that was created by Dennis M. Ritchie for the development of the UNIX operating system at Bell Laboratories.
In 1972, C was initially implemented on the DEC PDP-11 computer. Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie published the first public description of C in 1978. This standard is now known as the K&R standard.
In the late 1970s, C started to displace more prevalent programming languages such as PL/I, ALGOL, etc. Nobody had pushed C. Hence, without any advertising, C’s reputation spread, and its user base increased.
Advantages of using C
- C is a practical language that is generally accessible and popular among professionals.
- C is a tiny, powerful, and versatile programming language.
- The standardization of C has made it more portable than other languages.
- C offers sufficient low-level access for embedded devices.
- C is a high-level language that permits the construction of sophisticated systems with little effort.
History of C Programming Language
- ALGOL which stands for Algorithmic Language was developed by an international committee in 1960. It was very vague and overly generic.
- CPL (Combined Programming Language) was Developed by Cambridge University in 1963. It was challenging to learn and apply.
- BCPL (Basic Combined Programming Language) was Developed by Martin Richards at Cambridge University in 1967. It was too precise and could only address particular issues.
- B Developed by Ken Thompson at AT&T Bell Labs in 1970. It was machine-dependent, therefore it causes certain issues.
- C Developed by: Dennis Ritchie at AT&T Bell Labs in 1972. It was a combination of both BCPL and B
In 1983, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) formed a group to develop a thorough, current definition of C. In 1989, the ANSI standard, also known as “ANSI C,” was finalized.
Facts about C
- C is the successor of the B programming language, which was released in 1970.
- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) formalized the language in 1988.
- C is now the most popular and commonly used System Programming Language.
- The UNIX OS was entirely written in C by 1973.
- C was used to develop the popular Linux operating system and RDBMS MySQL.
- The majority of cutting-edge software was developed using C.
