'C' seems a strange name for a programming language. But this strange sounding language is one of the most popular computer languages because it is a structured,high-level,machine independent language. It allows software developers programs without worrying about the hardware platforms where they will be implemented.
In 1967, Martin Richards developed a language called BCPL(Basic Combined Programming Language)primarily for writing system software. In 1970, Ken Thompson created a language using many features of BCPL and called it simply B. B was used to create early versions of UNIX operating systems at Bell laboratories. Both BCPL and B were "typeless" system programming languages
C was evolved from ALGOL, BCPL and B by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Laboratories in 1972. C uses many concepts from these languages and added the concept of data types and other powerful features. Since it was developed along with the UNIX operating system, it is strongly associated with UNIX. This operating system, which was also developed at Bell Laboratories, was coded almost entirely in C. UNIX is one of the most popular network operating systems in use today and the heart of the Internet data superhighway.
For many years, C was used mainly in academic environments, but eventually with the release of many C compilers for commercials use and the increasing popularity of UNIX. It began to gain widespread support among computer professionals. Today, C is running under a variety of operating system and hardware platforms.
During 1970s, C had evolved into what is now known as “traditional C”. The language became more popular after publication of the book ‘The C Programming Language’ by Brian Kerningham and Dennis Ritchie in 1978. The book was so popular that the language came to be known as “K&R C” among the programming community. The rapid growth of C led to developed of different versions of the language that were similar but often incompatible. This posed a serious problem for system developers.
To assure that the C language remains standard,in 1983, American National Standards Institute(ANSI) appointed a technical committee to define a standard for C. The committee approved a version of C in December 1989 which is now known ANSI C. It was then approved by the International Standards Organization(ISO) in 1990. This version of C is also referred to as C89.
During 1990’s,C++, a language entirely based on C, underwent a number of improvements and changes and became an ANSI/ISO approved language in November 1977. C++ added several new features to C to make it not only a true object-oriented language but also a more versatile language.
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