Welcome to the world of C programming! 🎉 Whether you’re stepping into coding for the first time or brushing up for your exams, you’ve landed in the right place. In this series of notes, we’ll unravel the magic behind one of the most powerful and foundational programming languages. From basic syntax and control structures to advanced pointers and dynamic memory allocation, you’ll gain a rock-solid understanding of C. Get ready to dive into hands-on examples and concepts that will boost your coding skills and take you closer to becoming a programming pro! Let’s get started 🚀!
Overview of C Programming Language
C is considered as the mother language of all the programming language as it is a general – purpose, procedural programming language. It is used in many areas like building databases, compilers, operating systems, kernels, drivers, browsers, and application software. One of the oldest and finest programming languages.
History of C Programming
In 1970, Ken Thompson created a language using BCPL called B, which was also type less. Then, Dennis Ritchie at AT&T Bell Labs took the development of C into his hands. Using the foundations laid down by previous languages BCPL and B, he developed the C programming language in 1972.
The history and evolution of the C programming language is a fascinating journey that spans over several decades. C has had a profound influence on modern computing and the development of numerous other programming languages.
What We are Going to Learn ?
- Introduction To C Language
- Basic Syntax of C
- Input and Output Functions in C
- Operators in C
- Control Flow Statements
- Functions in C
- Arrays in C
- Strings in C
- Pointers in C
- Structures in C
- Unions in C
- Enumerations in C
- File Handling in C
- Preprocessor Directives of C
- Memory Management in C
- Command-line Arguments
- Bitwise Operators
- Miscellaneous Topics in C
- Practice Problems and Programs
- Previous Year Questions and Sample Programs
Here’s a detailed look at C History:
1. Predecessors of C:
Before C came into existence, several programming languages laid the groundwork for its development.
– Assembly Language (1940s-1950s): Early computers were programmed using machine code, and assembly language was developed to make programming easier by using mnemonic codes instead of binary.
– ALGOL (1958): ALGOL (Algorithmic Language) was a high-level language designed for scientific computations. It introduced the concept of structured programming, influencing future languages.
– BCPL (1966): Developed by Martin Richards, BCPL (Basic Combined Programming Language) was designed for writing system software and compilers. BCPL played a crucial role in influencing C.
– B (1970): B was a simplified version of BCPL, developed by Ken Thompson at Bell Labs for the early UNIX operating system. It lacked data types but allowed close interaction with machine hardware.
2. The Birth of C (Early 1970s):
The C programming language was developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs (AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories). Ritchie was working with Ken Thompson, who had previously created B, and they were working on developing the UNIX operating system. The primary motivations for creating C were:
– To develop a language that could replace assembly code for writing UNIX but still be close enough to the hardware to optimize performance.
– To introduce structured programming concepts (like functions and control structures) for better code organization and efficiency.
C was initially developed on a DEC PDP-11 computer and was used to re-implement the UNIX operating system, which helped popularize both UNIX and C in the computing world.
3. Key Milestones in C’s Evolution:
1978 – The Release of “The C Programming Language” (K&R C):
- – The first official documentation of C came with the publication of the book “The C Programming Language” by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, often referred to as K&R C.
- – This book became the de facto standard for C and introduced many key concepts and syntax rules that are still in use today.
– K&R C introduced features like:
– Data types (`int`, `char`, `float`, etc.)
– Function prototypes
– Standard input/output using `printf()` and `scanf()`
1983 – ANSI C Standardization:
- – By the early 1980s, C was gaining widespread popularity, but there was no official standard for the language, leading to inconsistencies across different implementations.
- – In 1983, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) established a committee to create a standardized version of C.
- – In 1989, ANSI released the first standardized version of C, known as ANSI C or C89.
- – ANSI C brought several improvements and standard libraries, ensuring better portability across different platforms.
1990 – ISO C (C90):
- – Shortly after the release of ANSI C, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) adopted the ANSI standard, creating the ISO C standard, also known as C90.
1995 – C95 Amendment*:
- – In 1995, a minor update called C95 was introduced to fix some bugs and add new library functions like `wchar_t` for wide characters and improved support for internationalization.
- – The next major update to C came in **1999** with the release of C99. This version introduced several new features, including:
- Â – Inline functions: For performance optimization.
- Â – Variable-length arrays (VLAs): Arrays that can have a size determined at runtime.
- Â – New data types: Such as `long long int` for larger integers, and `complex` for complex number support.
- Â – Single-line comments: C99 allowed comments using `//`, which was borrowed from C++.
- Â – Improved floating-point support: Including new functions in the standard math library.
- Â – Additional library functions: Functions like `snprintf()` for safer string handling.
2011 – C11 Standard:
- – In 2011, the C11 standard was introduced, focusing on improving performance, security, and concurrency. Key features included:
- Â – Multithreading support: Introduced library functions formultithreaded programming, helping programmers develop concurrent applications.
- Â – Generic macros: Allowed better handling of functions that operate on different types.
- Â – Improved Unicode support: Introduced functions for handling Unicode characters.
- Â – Static assertions: Improved compile-time error checking.
2017 – C17 Standard:
- – In 2017, the C1** standard (also referred to as C18) was released, primarily focusing on clarifications and bug fixes from the C11 standard.
- – It didn’t introduce any new features but aimed at making the language more stable and efficient.
4. Influence on Other Languages:
- C has had a profound influence on many modern programming languages, including:
- – C++ (1983): An extension of C that introduced object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts, developed by Bjarne Stroustrup.
- -Objective-C: An object-oriented extension of C used for Apple’s iOS and macOS development.
- -C#: A language developed by Microsoft with syntax inspired by both C and C++.
- -Java: Java’s syntax is heavily influenced by C, making it familiar to C programmers.
- -PHP, Perl, Python: These high-level languages borrowed much of their syntax and control structures from C.
Why Learn C ?
C is generally used in developing firmware, middleware, and operating systems, making it a crucial language in the embedded software industry. Additionally, many real-time operating systems (RTOS) are written in C, making it an essential skill for developers working in this field. This language is fast, efficient and very easy to learn. It is a flexible language and is thus applied in various tasks, from developing high-level programming to programming low-level systems.
