C Introduction

C is a general-purpose, procedural programming language that has been a cornerstone of computer science and software development since its creation in 1972. This chapter will introduce the history, features, application areas, and importance of the C language.

History of C Language

Birth Background

The C language was developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 at Bell Labs, originally designed to rewrite the UNIX operating system.

Important Milestones:

• 1969-1973 - Dennis Ritchie develops C language
• 1972 - C language first appears
• 1978 - Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie publish "The C Programming Language"
• 1989 - ANSI C (C89/C90) standard released
• 1999 - C99 standard released
• 2011 - C11 standard released
• 2018 - C17/C18 standard released

Development Timeline

B Language (1970) → C Language (1972) → C++ (1985) → Java/C# (1990s)

The design of C language was heavily influenced by B language, which in turn originated from BCPL language. The success of C language gave birth to many modern programming languages.

Features of C Language

1. Simple and Efficient

• C language compiled code has extremely high execution efficiency, close to assembly language performance.
• Code is highly readable and easy to maintain.
• C language has only 32 keywords, with concise and clear syntax:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    printf("Hello, World!\n");
    return 0;
}

2. Strong Portability

• C language programs can run on different operating systems and hardware platforms
• Only need to recompile to adapt to new environments
• High degree of standardization, ANSI C standard ensures code compatibility