BCSC 1102 : Intro To Programming Week 1

Dr. Shem Mbandu Angolo, PhD

The Co-operatetive University of Kenya

September - December 2024

Contents
1 History of C Programming Language 2
1.1 Origins and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Standardization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2 Overview of C Language Features and Applications 2

2.1 Key Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2 Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3 Setting Up the Programming Environment (IDE, Compiler) 3

3.1 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.2 Compilers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.3 Setting Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

4 Writing and Running Your First C Program (Hello World) 5

4.1 Writing Your First Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2 Compiling and Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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1 History of C Programming Language
1.1 Origins and Development
• 1969-1973: C programming language was developed by Dennis Ritchie
at AT&T Bell Labs.
• Influence: Derived from the B language, which was influenced by BCPL
(Basic Combined Programming Language).
• Purpose: Initially created for system programming for the Unix operat-
ing system, allowing Unix to be ported to different computers.
• K&R C: The first edition of ”The C Programming Language” by Brian
Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, published in 1978, became known as K&R
C.

1.2 Standardization
• 1983: ANSI (American National Standards Institute) established a com-
mittee to standardize C.
• 1989: The ANSI C standard, known as ANSI X3.159-1989 or C89.

• 1990: ISO (International Organization for Standardization) adopted it as

ISO/IEC 9899:1990, also known as C90.
• 1999: An updated version known as C99 introduced new features like
inline functions, variable-length arrays, and new data types.

• 2011: C11 standard introduced multi-threading support, improved Uni-

code support, and other enhancements.
• 2018: C18 (or C17) included minor revisions and bug fixes to C11.

2 Overview of C Language Features and Appli-

cations
2.1 Key Features
• Portability: C programs can run on different types of computers with
little or no modification.
• Efficiency: C provides low-level access to memory and system processes,
which allows for highly efficient programs.
• Flexibility: C supports both high-level and low-level programming, mak-
ing it suitable for a variety of applications.

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 • Rich Library: Extensive library of built-in functions.
• Modularity: Supports modular programming with functions, which al-
lows code to be reused.
• Structured Programming: C emphasizes structured programming, al-
lowing developers to write clear, logical code blocks.

2.2 Applications
• System Programming: Operating systems, embedded systems, and
compilers (e.g., Unix, Linux).
• Application Development: Desktop applications, databases, and util-
ities.
• Game Development: High-performance games and graphics engines.

• Embedded Systems: Microcontrollers, IoT devices.

• Network Programming: Network protocols, socket programming.
• Scientific Computing: Numerical analysis, simulations.

3 Setting Up the Programming Environment (IDE,

Compiler)
3.1 Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
• Code::Blocks:
– Free, open-source IDE.
– Features: Code completion, syntax highlighting, debugger, and cus-
tomizable interface.
• Visual Studio Code:

– Free, open-source text editor with extensions for C/C++ develop-

ment.
– Features: Integrated terminal, source control, debugging tools.
• Eclipse:

– Open-source IDE with extensive plugin support.

– Features: Code navigation, refactoring tools, build automation.

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3.2 Compilers
• GCC (GNU Compiler Collection):
– Standard compiler for Unix-like systems.
– Command-line based, widely used in open-source projects.
• Clang:
– Compiler based on LLVM, known for its performance and modularity.
– Provides detailed error messages and diagnostics.
• Microsoft Visual C++:
– Part of Visual Studio, used for Windows development.
– Features: Integrated with Visual Studio’s debugging and develop-
ment tools.

3.3 Setting Up
• Windows:
– Install Code::Blocks: Download from http://www.codeblocks.org/
downloads and follow the installation instructions.
– Install Visual Studio Code: Download from https://code.visualstudio.
com/, install the C/C++ extension from the marketplace.
– Install MinGW for GCC: Use Instructions in the following link https:
//code.visualstudio.com/docs/cpp/config-mingw, follow the setup
instructions to install GCC.
• MacOS:
– Install Xcode: Available on the Mac App Store, includes Clang com-
piler.
– Install Visual Studio Code: Same as Windows, with C/C++ exten-
sion.
– Install Homebrew for GCC: Use brew install gcc to install GCC
via Homebrew.
• Linux:
– Install GCC: Use package manager (e.g., sudo apt-get install
gcc on Ubuntu).
– Install Code::Blocks: Use package manager (e.g., sudo apt-get install
codeblocks on Ubuntu).
– Install Visual Studio Code: Download the .deb package from https:
//code.visualstudio.com/ and install using sudo dpkg -i <file>.deb.

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 4 Writing and Running Your First C Program
(Hello World)
4.1 Writing Your First Program
Code:
1 # include < stdio .h >
2

3 int main () {
4 printf ( " Hello , ␣ World !\ n " ) ;
5 return 0;
6 }

Explanation:
• #include <stdio.h>: Preprocessor directive to include the standard input-
output library.
• int main(): Main function where the execution starts.
• printf("Hello, World!
n"): Prints ”Hello, World!” to the console.
• return 0: Ends the program, returning 0 to the operating system.

4.2 Compiling and Running

Using GCC (Command Line):
• Open terminal or command prompt.
• Navigate to the directory containing your C file.
• Compile the program using:
1 gcc hello . c -o hello

• Run the compiled program:

1 ./ hello

Using Code::Blocks:
• Open Code::Blocks.
• Create a new project: File -¿ New -¿ Project -¿ Console Application -¿ C.
• Write the program in the main.c file.
• Build and run the program: Build -¿ Build and run.

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Using Visual Studio Code:
• Open Visual Studio Code.
• Create a new file named hello.c and write the program.
• Open terminal in VS Code.

• Compile using GCC:

1 gcc hello . c -o hello

• Run the program:

1 ./ hello