C is a high-level programming language developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in the mid 1970s. Although originally designed as a systems programming language, C has proved to be a powerful and flexible language that can be used for a variety of applications, from business programs to engineering. C is a particularly popular language for personal computer programmers because it is relatively small -- it requires less memory than other languages.

The first major program written in C was the UNIX operating system, and for many years C was considered to be inextricably linked with UNIX. Now, however, C is an important language independent of UNIX. Many later languages have borrowed directly or indirectly from C, including C#, D, Go, Rust, Java, JavaScript, Limbo, LPC, Objective-C, Perl, PHP, Python, Verilog (hardware description language),and Unix's C shell. These languages have drawn many of their control structuress and other basic features from C.

Facts about C

• C was invented to write an operating system called UNIX.
• C is a successor of B language which was introduced around 1970
• The language was formalized in 1988 by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI).
• The UNIX OS was totally written in C by 1973.
• Today C is the most widely used and popular System Programming Language.
• Most of the state-of-the-art softwares have been implemented using C.
• Today's most popular Linux OS and RBDMS MySQL have been written in C.

Why C?

C has been used successfully for every type of programming problem imaginable from operating systems to spreadsheets to expert systems - and efficient compilers are available for machines ranging in power from the Apple Macintosh to the Cray supercomputers. The largest measure of C's success seems to be based on purely practical considerations:

• the portability of the compiler
• the standard library concept
• a powerful and varied repertoire of operators
• an elegant syntax
• ready access to the hardware when needed
• and the ease with which applications can be optimised by hand-coding isolated procedures

C is often called a "Middle Level" programming language. This is not a reflection on its lack of programming power but more a reflection on its capability to access the system's low level functions. Most high-level languages (e.g. Fortran) provides everything the programmer might want to do already built into the language. A low level language (e.g. assembler) provides nothing other than access to the machines basic instruction set. A middle level language, such as C, probably doesn't supply all the constructs found in high-languages - but it provides you with all the building blocks that you will need to produce the results you want!

Use of C?

• Operating Systems.
• Language Compilers.
• Assemblers.
• Text Editors.
• Print Spoolers.
• Network Drivers.
• Modern Programs.
• Data Bases.
• Language Interpreters.
• Utilities.

Who can learn C?