Introduction

One of the most widely used computer programming languages is the C language.

Language is a medium of communication used by humans based on speech and gestures. The language used by programmers to communicate with a computer is known as a programming language.

C is very popular among programmers because it is easy to use and understand. There is a myth that C is an outdated language. But even today, most of the programming is done in this language.

Why C language is so important

As stated previously, many people think that learning C is a waste of time because it is an outdated language. Today, we have several programming languages better than C, but it is very important to know the worth of the C language.

Oracle is written in C

One of the most successful software in the database sector, i.e. Oracle, widely used nowadays, is written in C language.

MySQL is written in C

Like Oracle, MySQL is also a database management software that is developed using the C language.

Almost every device driver is written in C

The computer has a lot of hardware. They work well because they contain programs that update the hardware. Different programs called device drivers run different hardware devices.

Example: When we want to connect a pen drive to a computer/laptop we insert the pen drive in the USB port. There is a pre-installed device driver that helps us read and understand the content in that pen drive.

The web browser is written in C

Web browser software such as Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari are used to access the internet. Major portions of this software are also written in C.

UNIX operating system

UNIX is a well-known operating system developed in the C language. In fact, the C language was made with the aim of developing this operating system.

For students

1. For a beginner, C is important to build programming skills.
2. For a beginner, programming is only possible when we practice a lot of problems and make a number of programs related to that specific task we are given. To do so, a programming language is a must.
3. C covers almost every basic concept of every other programming language. When we are comfortable with C, it is very easy to grasp other programming languages.
4. C language is very popular for hardware-dependent programming. Development of system software, operating systems, etc.
5. Today’s generation is of embedded systems, where every machine is operated with computers. In such cases, coding and programming are done so that users can interact with hardware.

History

Before the development of the C language, there were some languages as listed below:

BCPL:

1. Martin Richards was the developer of BCPL.
2. Basic Combined Programming Language.
3. Developed in 1966

B language:

1. Ken Thompson was the developer of B language.
2. His goal was to develop an operating system that is well known as the UNIX operating system. For that, he needed a computer language, and he developed B language to serve his purpose.

C language:

1. In 1972, Dennis Ritchie made improvements to the B language and developed a new programming language, i.e. C language.
2. The UNIX operating system is thus modified with this C language, and has got the feature of portability.

Features of C language

1. Fast programming language.
2. Easy to learn
3. C can make complex programs very easy for users by using many built-in functions.
4. It provides flexibility in compilation, i.e. number of computer platforms that can be used to compile.
5. Portability: Programs written on one type of operating system can run on a different operating system without giving any error.
6. C is widely used in many large-scale as well as small projects.