.. _intro:

Relationship of C to other programming Languages
================================================

.. figure:: lang_comp.png
   :align: center

Java and Python
-------------------


- Java and Python are both good language for learning object oriented
  programming.

- They have rich libraries for implementing graphics, which is difficult
  in C.

- Lack of pointers removes a challenge which C/C++ programmers face.

- Platform independence adds to their utility.  

- 
   Lack of low level programming features, e.g. no pointers, Java's strict
   enforcement of the object oriented paradigm and slow speed limit
   its usefulness for certain tasks, especially systems programming.

-  Just FYI ... Python is easier to learn than Java because programmers are
   not required to use the object oriented programming paradigm.


C++
---


- 
   Fast execution speed, same low level programming support as C, plus
   the benefits of object oriented programming.

- 
   Currently the most popular language for large commercial
   programming projects.

-  Difficult to learn for beginners.


C
-


- 
   Very fast, non-object oriented language.

       Do *not* view C as just a learning language, which is needed to help one
       understand C++. Many very fine programs are written in C. It is
       typically easier and faster to write small to medium size programs in C
       than C++.

- 
   C is considered a high level language. (Assembly language is a low
   level language.) Although it is obviously a lower level language
   than Java. 

   * Low level = Easy manipulation of the hardware
     
   * High level = relying on lower level software levels to implement tasks
     with a minimal amount of code.

- 
   C is less restrictive than most languages, especially in relation
   to conversion of data to different data types. Thus, C is more
   flexible and also easier to program wrong.

- 
   C is a small language in terms of the number of built-in keywords.
   Older languages such as Pascal and Fortran have many more built-in
   keywords / features. In C, functions (from libraries) are heavily
   used.

- 
   All data variables and functions must be defined before use. C does
   not have look-ahead capability.

-  C is well suited for systems programming.


History of C
============

C was developed at Bell Labs in the early 1970's. It was developed
to be the primary programming environment of Unix. C evolved from
two previous programming languages, BCPL and B. In 1972, Dennis
Ritchie completed the first C compiler. In 1983, the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI) began to work on a C standard
with the goal of making C portable between systems and unambiguous.
In 1989, the ANSI C standard was approved.