Table of Contents
In this tutorial, you’ll learn about What is C , Why to Learn , Facts about C , and its application.
What is C?
C programming is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative computer programming language developed in 1972 by Dennis M. Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories to develop the UNIX operating system. C is the most widely used computer language.
It can be used to develop software like operating systems, databases, compilers, and so on. C programming is an excellent language to learn to program for beginners.
Why Learn C Programming?
C programming language is a MUST for students and working professionals to become great Software Engineers especially when they are working in Software Development Domain. Some of the key advantages of learning C Programming:
- C helps you to understand the internal architecture of a computer, how the computer stores and retrieves information.
- After learning C, it will be much easier to learn other programming languages like Java, Python, etc.
- Opportunity to work on open source projects. Some of the largest open-source projects such as Linux kernel, Python interpreter, SQLite database, etc. are written in C programming.
Facts about C
- C was invented to write an operating system called UNIX.
- C is a successor of B language which was introduced around the early 1970s.
- The language was formalized in 1988 by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI).
- The UNIX OS was totally written in C.
- Today C is the most widely used and popular System Programming Language.
- Most of the state-of-the-art software have been implemented using C.
About C Programming
- Procedural Language – Instructions in a C program are executed step by step.
- Portable – You can move C programs from one platform to another, and run it without any or minimal changes.
- Speed – C programming is faster than most programming languages like Java, Python, etc.
- General Purpose – C programming can be used to develop operating systems, embedded systems, databases, and so on.
Application of C Programming
C is a language that is used to program a wide variety of systems. Some of the uses of C are as follows:
- Major parts of Windows, Linux, and other operating systems are written in C.
- C is used to write driver programs for devices like Tablets, Printers, etc.
- C language is used to program embedded systems where programs need to run faster in limited memory.
- C is used to develop games, an area where latency is very important, i.e., a computer has to react quickly to user input.
Hello World using C Programming
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
/* my first program in C */
printf("Hello, World! \n");
return 0;