History and features of C
The C programming language is a simple-to-use procedural, multi-purpose programming language, known for its coding speed, work efficiency, multi-system portability, flexibility, and reliability. The C programming language is often considered a mid-level language, as it combines the advantages of high-level programming languages with low-level features like direct memory manipulation.
Most modern programming languages today are completely inspired by the C programming language. For example, some modern, updated C-inspired languages, including C++, C#, Java, and Objective-C, share syntax and concepts that are completely dependent on or similar to the C language.
History of the C Programming Language.
The design and development of the C programming language was closely linked to the development of the popular Unix operating system of the 1970s and today’s Mac OS operating systems.
BCPL Programming Language – In 1967.
In 1967, British computer scientist Martin Richards developed a programming language called BCPL (Basic Combined Programming Language) for general programming software and compiler coding purposes.
The BCPL programming language was specifically designed for creating system software code and programming compiler source code. The BCPL language provided software developers with several features that later significantly influenced the development of the C programming language.
B Programming Language – In 1970.
In 1970, a person named Ken Thompson at Bell Labs in the United States developed a simple BASIC programming language called B. The B language was heavily dependent on the BCPL programming language. Ken Thompson implemented the B programming language while working on the initial version of the Unix operating system at Bell Labs. As such, the B programming language had some loopholes and disadvantages. At that time, the B language was helpful in properly handling and managing the new computer system hardware devices used at Bell Labs.
Development of the C Programming Language – 1972.
In 1972, a software developer named Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs developed the C programming language. Dennis Ritchie improved the fundamental concepts of the then-existing B programming language and developed a more powerful and efficient multi-purpose language.
The C programming language was initially designed and developed on the DEC PDP-11 computer and contributed significantly to the development of the then-popular Unix operating system.
By 1972, much of the source code for the Unix operating system was recreated or recoded in the C programming language. The C language made the existing Unix operating system portable, making it easy to move from one computer to another.
The C Programming Language Book – 1978.
In 1978, C programming language developers Dennis Ritchie and Brian Kernighan published a detailed C language book titled The C Programming Language.
This C programming language book was highly effective and explained and significantly helped the C programming language gain popularity as a large-scale programming language.
Standardization Improvements of the C Programming Language.
As the C programming language gained popularity, various improved version implementations of the C programming language were launched. Subsequently, the C programming language was standardized periodically to maintain a consistent, stable version.
- 1989 – In 1989, ANSI published the first major standard version of the C programming language, later known as ANSI C or C89.
- 1990 – The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) adopted ANSI C as C90.
- 1999 – Several significant improvements or implementations were made to the existing C99 C programming language version.
- 2011 – C11 added several new programming features and functions related to the modern C programming language, including advanced programming support for multithreading to the existing older C programming language.
- 2018 – C17, the new C programming language version, implemented several new and advanced improvements to the existing C11 version.
- 2024 – As of today, C23 became the latest major ISO C standard C programming language version, bringing significant improvements to the existing language version and its libraries.
Important Features of the C Programming Language
- Simple and Efficient – The C programming language makes it easy for a new programmer to learn with a few reserved keywords, functions, or library code.
- Portable – The C programming language is completely portable in design, allowing programs to be run, tested, or executed on multiple individual system, device, or hardware platforms with little or no modification.
- Structured Programming – The C programming language fully supports the function concept and modular programming behavior.
- Fast Execution – It provides fast execution of program source code written in the C programming language as efficient machine code.
- Middle-Level Language – The C programming language supports or merges features of both high-level and low-level programming languages.
- Rich Library – The C programming language provides developers with numerous built-in functions through standard libraries.
- Pointers – The C programming language provides program developers with direct memory access and supports efficient programming features.
- Dynamic Memory Allocation – In the C programming language, memory can be allocated, freed, or released during a program’s execution process.
- Recursion – In the C programming language, designed functions can automatically call themselves when needed.
- Extensible – In the C programming language, programmers can create their own custom functions and libraries as needed.
