What is C (programming language)?
{{distinguish|C}} [[File:The C Programming Language logo.svg|thumb]] The '''C programming language''' is a [[computer]] [[programming language]] developed in the early 1970s by [[Ken Thompson]] and [[Dennis Ritchie]] at [[Bell Labs]]. They used it to improve the [[UNIX]] [[operating system]]. It is still much used today. C is a [[procedural language]], which means that people write their [[computer program|programs]] as a series of step-by-step instructions. C is a [[compiled language]], which means that the computer [[source code]], written in C, is converted to make [[machine code]] that a computer chip can actually execute. Because the ideas behind C are like the ideas used in the design of the [[computer]], the [[compiler]] (program builder) can generate fast [[machine code]] for the computer. The language itself has very few [[Keyword (computer)|keywords]], and most things are done using [[programming library|libraries]], which are collections of code made to be reused. C has a big standard library called stdio, which stands for standard input/output. C has a variety of uses: * writing [[embedded system]]s like the code that runs inside a [[computer mouse]], or a car headlight. * writing [[device driver]]s like the code inside a [[laptop]] computer that interacts with the [[touchpad]] or the [[microphone]]. * writing [[protocol stack]]s like the code that allows one computer to communicate with other computers on the internet. * writing [[operating system]]s, such as the [[Linux]] kernel, [[MacOS]] and [[UNIX]], and the utilities that come with those operating systems. * writing application software, such as web browsers, word processors, etc. * writing video games. Many of the most well-reviewed video games, including ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'', ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'', and ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' are written in C. * The compilers and interpreters of many other programming languages, such as [[Python (programming language)|Python]] and [[Perl]], are written in C. ==C standards== Th