C (programming language)

C (programming language)

C is a general-purpose, procedural programming language originally developed by Dennis Ritchie between 1969 and 1973 at Bell Labs. It is a very popular language, particularly for systems programming due to its flexibility, speed, and minimal runtime requirements.
C (programming language) image
systems-programming procedural-programming c-standard-library portability efficiency

C: General-Purpose Programming Language

A general-purpose, procedural programming language originally developed by Dennis Ritchie between 1969 and 1973 at Bell Labs, popular for systems programming due to its flexibility, speed, and minimal runtime requirements.

What is C (programming language)?

C is a general-purpose, procedural programming language originally developed by Dennis Ritchie between 1969 and 1973 at Bell Labs. It was originally implemented on the Unix operating system and its availability on a wide variety of platforms has made C one of the most widely used programming languages.

Some key features of C include:

  • Procedural programming language with a static type system
  • Provides low-level memory access and language constructs that map closely to underlying hardware
  • Supports structured programming with functions and control constructs like if-else statements, loops, etc.
  • Rich library of standard functions for common programming tasks
  • Highly flexible and portable - C compilers are available for practically every platform

C is a very popular language, particularly for systems programming due to its flexibility, speed, and minimal runtime requirements. It formed the base for development of operating systems like Unix/Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. It is also extensively used for developing embedded systems, device drivers, databases, games, and desktop/mobile applications. Almost every popular programming language available today is implemented using C or has a C interface available.

C (programming language) Features

Features

  1. Procedural programming model
  2. Statically typed language
  3. Low-level memory management
  4. Portable across multiple platforms
  5. Widely used for system programming
  6. Supports structured programming constructs
  7. Provides direct access to hardware resources
  8. Supports modular programming through functions

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Efficient and high-performance

Widely adopted and supported

Portable across different systems

Provides low-level control over hardware

Supports modular and structured programming

Large and active community with extensive resources

Cons

Prone to memory-related errors

Requires more manual memory management

Steeper learning curve compared to some high-level languages

Limited built-in data structures and abstractions

Potential for security vulnerabilities if not used carefully


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