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C (programming language)

TLDR: C is a programming language that was created in the 1970s and is still widely used today. It is known for its simplicity and efficiency, and it has influenced many other programming languages.

C is a general-purpose programming language that was created by Dennis Ritchie in the 1970s. It was designed to be simple and efficient, with features that reflect the capabilities of the targeted CPUs. C is widely used in operating systems, device drivers, and protocol stacks, as well as in smaller systems like microcontrollers and embedded systems.

C was developed as a successor to the B programming language, which was used to write utilities for the Unix operating system. Ritchie wanted a language that could take advantage of the more powerful PDP-11 computer, so he created a modified version of the BCPL language called B. Eventually, B was further developed into C, which became the language of choice for implementing the Unix kernel.

C has a small number of keywords and a large number of operators, making it a flexible language for expressing complex operations. It supports structured programming, lexical variable scope, recursion, and a static type system. C programs can be compiled to provide low-level access to memory and efficient machine instructions, making it suitable for a wide range of computer platforms and operating systems.

Over the years, C has been standardized by ANSI and ISO, with the latest standard being C17. The C language has influenced many other programming languages, including C++, C#, Java, and Python. It is still widely used today and continues to be a popular choice for systems programming and low-level development.

In summary, C is a programming language that was created in the 1970s and is still widely used today. It is known for its simplicity, efficiency, and flexibility, and it has influenced many other programming languages. C is used in a variety of applications, from operating systems to embedded systems, and it continues to be an important language in the field of computer programming.