In this course, we will be discussing programming in C language. In this first video, we will cover some ba
sic concepts such as the need for programming, programming languages, and how to write programs in C
language.
The Need for Programming
Computers are general-purpose machines that can perform any computational task. However, they can o
nly understand instructions in binary language, which is a combination of 0s and 1s. To communicate with
a computer, we need to write a sequence of instructions or a program. Programs are essential for compu
ters to perform specific tasks.
Programming Languages
Since computers can only understand instructions in binary language, we need programming languages t
hat can translate human-readable code to computer-readable code. Programming languages have their o
wn set of rules, syntaxes, and characters, which we need to learn before writing programs. High-level lan
guages such as C, C++, and Java are more understandable to humans than low-level languages such as
machine language and assembly language.
C Language
C language was developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 at Bell Laboratories. It is a high-level programming l
anguage that is widely used in system programming, embedded systems, and operating systems. C lang
uage allows for portability, which means that programs written in C can run on different machines without
modification.
The Development of C Language
C language is considered the successor of B language and was developed by Ken Thompson. Its main p
urpose was to write the kernel of the Unix operating system since the limitations of B language required a
more powerful language. C is a system programming language used in developing various software and o
perating systems such as Oracle, Android, web browsers, and device drivers. It became the most popular
programming language in the 1980s and was standardized by ANSI in 1989, hence the name ANSI C.
How C Language Works
Unlike machine-level language, C language needs to be converted into object code using a compiler. The
program is written with a .c extension and is converted into an object file which contains machine-level co
de. The CPU runs the program after the linker and loader have converted it into an executable file. The co
mplete process of execution is discussed in a separate video. C language can also be interpreted, but the
difference will be discussed in another video.
sic concepts such as the need for programming, programming languages, and how to write programs in C
language.
The Need for Programming
Computers are general-purpose machines that can perform any computational task. However, they can o
nly understand instructions in binary language, which is a combination of 0s and 1s. To communicate with
a computer, we need to write a sequence of instructions or a program. Programs are essential for compu
ters to perform specific tasks.
Programming Languages
Since computers can only understand instructions in binary language, we need programming languages t
hat can translate human-readable code to computer-readable code. Programming languages have their o
wn set of rules, syntaxes, and characters, which we need to learn before writing programs. High-level lan
guages such as C, C++, and Java are more understandable to humans than low-level languages such as
machine language and assembly language.
C Language
C language was developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 at Bell Laboratories. It is a high-level programming l
anguage that is widely used in system programming, embedded systems, and operating systems. C lang
uage allows for portability, which means that programs written in C can run on different machines without
modification.
The Development of C Language
C language is considered the successor of B language and was developed by Ken Thompson. Its main p
urpose was to write the kernel of the Unix operating system since the limitations of B language required a
more powerful language. C is a system programming language used in developing various software and o
perating systems such as Oracle, Android, web browsers, and device drivers. It became the most popular
programming language in the 1980s and was standardized by ANSI in 1989, hence the name ANSI C.
How C Language Works
Unlike machine-level language, C language needs to be converted into object code using a compiler. The
program is written with a .c extension and is converted into an object file which contains machine-level co
de. The CPU runs the program after the linker and loader have converted it into an executable file. The co
mplete process of execution is discussed in a separate video. C language can also be interpreted, but the
difference will be discussed in another video.
