C LANGUAGE INTRODUCTION

 

History of C language:

Before 60’s:

Before 60’s different languages where used to develop software in different fields. For example COBOL was being used to develop commercial applications and FORTRAN to develop engineering and scientific applications. People were thinking that, Instead of learning different languages it is better to have a single language to develop any application in any field (general purpose).

1960:

As a result, an international committee was setup to develop a general purpose language. Later the committee came out with a language called ALGOL 60. It was not so popular because it was too general and abstract (inner details are not explained)

1963:

To reduce the abstractness and generality of ALGOL 60, a new language called Combined Programming Language (CPL) was developed in Cambridge University. Simply it is the down to earth model of (simplified) ALGOL 60. Where as CPL became a big language with so many features. So that it was so difficult to learn.

1967:

Martin Richards from Cambridge University developed a simplified version of CPL with essential features called Basic Combined Programming Language (BCPL).It was developed for first UNIX system on DEC PDC 7. Unfortunately it became so powerless and specific (only for some fields).

1970:

Ken Thomson from AT&T’s Bell Telephone laboratories developed a simplified version of CPL called B language. Even it became so specific.

1972:

Dennis M. Ritchie from AT&T’s Bell Telephone laboratories inherited some of the features of BCPL and B languages, added some of his own and developed a new language called C language. Ritchie started developing from 1969 and completed by 1972. C was originally designed for and implemented on UNIX operating system on DEC PDC 11. It restored the lost generality of BCPL and B languages.