Introduction to C Programming

Jun 13, 2024

Introduction to C Programming

Basic Concept of Programming

  • Need for Programming
    • Computers are general-purpose machines meant to perform computational tasks.
    • Communication with computers requires specific instructions, i.e., programs.
    • Programs: Sequence of instructions given to a computer to perform tasks.
  • Language Barrier
    • Computers understand binary language (0s and 1s).
    • Human languages (English, Hindi, etc.) are not understandable by computers.

Role of Programs and Software

  • Software: Set of programs
    • System Software: Manages system resources (e.g., operating systems).
    • Application Software: Performs specific tasks for users (e.g., web browsers, text editors).
  • For specific tasks, users need to write and provide their own programs.

Importance of Programming Languages

  • Programming languages are needed for writing programs understandable by computers.
  • Components of a programming language: characters, keywords, syntax, and rules.

Machine Language vs. High-Level Language

  • Machine Language: Binary language understandable by computers.
    • Writing programs in machine language is machine-dependent and difficult.
  • High-Level Language: Human-readable languages like C, C++, Java.
    • Programs in high-level languages need to be converted into machine language for execution.

Conversion Process

  • Compiler: Converts high-level language programs into machine language (object code).
    • Example: C program with .c extension gets converted into machine code for execution.
  • Interpreter: Converts high-level language into object code, with specific differences (to be discussed in a separate video).

History and Application of C Language

  • Developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 at Bell Laboratories, New Jersey, USA.
  • Predecessor: B Language developed by Ken Thompson.
  • Purpose: Originally meant for writing the UNIX operating system kernel.
  • Popularity: Widely used in the 1980s, standardized by ANSI in 1989 (ANSI C).
  • Applications: Used in developing Unix OS, Oracle, Android core libraries, web browsers, and device drivers.

Summary

  • Summary of essential concepts of high-level and machine languages, importance of C language, its history, and applications.

In the next video: Detailed process of C program execution and the role of linker, loader, and executable files.