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Akash Dev
Akash Dev

Posted on • Edited on • Originally published at coolcoderr.hashnode.dev

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What is C?

C Programming Language: A Brief History

C programming language is quite popular among developers, especially beginners, but very few know why it is called "C".

C is a general-purpose programming language created by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Laboratories in 1972.

The programming language is called "C" simply because it comes after an earlier programming language called "B."

The B programming language, developed by Ken Thompson, was a precursor to C and was used for various system-related tasks.

Dennis Ritchie wanted to improve and extend the B language, hence, he started working on a new language, which he initially referred to as "New B".

However, as the language evolved and gained popularity, it was eventually named "C." The name "C" is a tribute to the language's predecessor, B, as it follows the next letter in the alphabet.

C is a procedural programming language, which means it follows a structured approach to programming, where a program is divided into functions or procedures.

The original development of C was closely tied to the creation of the Unix operating system, which was also developed at Bell Labs.

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Top comments (3)

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pauljlucas profile image
Paul J. Lucas

This shouldn't be tagged with either cpp or java. You never mention either.

That aside, there are much better histories of C out there.

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akashdev23 profile image
Akash Dev

This is just a brief

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pauljlucas profile image
Paul J. Lucas

How does that justify tagging other programming languages?

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