C was initially used for system development work, particularly the programs that make-up
the operating system. C was adopted as a system development language because it produces
code that runs nearly as fast as the code written in assembly language. Some examples of
the use of C might be:
- As a middle-level language, C combines the features of both high-level and low-level languages. It can be used for low-level programming, such as scripting for drivers and kernels and it also supports functions of high-level programming languages, such as scripting for software applications etc.
- C is a structured programming language which allows a complex program to be broken into simpler programs called functions. It also allows free movement of data across these functions.
- Various features of C including direct access to machine level hardware APIs, the presence of C compilers, deterministic resource use and dynamic memory allocation make C language an optimum choice for scripting applications and drivers of embedded systems.
- C language is case-sensitive which means lowercase and uppercase letters are treated differently.
- C is highly portable and is used for scripting system applications which form a major part of Windows, UNIX, and Linux operating system.
- C is a general-purpose programming language and can efficiently work on enterprise applications, games, graphics, and applications requiring calculations, etc.
- C language has a rich library which provides a number of built-in functions. It also offers dynamic memory allocation.
- Operating Systems
- Language Compilers
- Assemblers
- Text Editors
- Print Spoolers
- Network Drivers
- Modern Programs
- Databases
- Language Interpreters
- Utilities