 C (programming language)

A systems programming language supporting explicit memory access, arrays, and implementation-dependent integer widths. Signed integer overflow is not generally specified as modular arithmetic; correctness arguments must state the relevant range assumptions.

It gets the job done, but cannot make a large codebase DRY without insanity.

As of 2020, C is like Latin, and we are in the Middle Ages, where it has become a lingua franca.

It is interesting to note how late C appeared: 1972, compared e.g. to Fortran which is from 1957. This is basically because C was a "systems programming language", i.e. with focus on pointer manipulation, and because early computers were so weak, there was no operating system or many software layers in the early days. Fortran however was a numerical language, and it ran directly on bare metal, an application that existed before systems programming.

Examples under c.