Programming, eh? We all know it, don't we. And today is the world of JAVA, VB6, SQL, etc. So why C/C++? Aren't they outdated? This must be some of the questions in your mind. That's the main reason for me writing on this topic. Nothing can survive unless it has a strong foundation. And let me make it clear right now that C is the foundation on which you can build up your career in computer programming.

Let us start with the subject now.

Some Properties of C Language

The increasing popularity of C is due to its many desirable qualities. It is a robust language whose rich set of built-in functions and operators can be used to write any complex program. The C compiler combines the capabilities of an assembly language with features of a high-level language and therefore it is well suited for writing both SYSTEM SOFTWARE AND BUSINESS PACKAGES. 

It has only 32 keywords and its strength lies in its built-in functions.

C language is well suited for structured programming, thus requiring the user to think of a problem in terms of function modules or blocks.

Another important feature of C is its ability to extend itself. A C program is basically a collection of functions that are supported by the C library. We can continuously add our own functions to the C library.

We Begin Our Work 

Consider SAMPLE C PROGRAM

main()
{
/*......printing begins.....*/
printf("I see ,I remember");
/*......printing ends.......*/
}

1. The first line informs the system that the name of the program is 'main' and the execution begins at this line. The main() is a special function used by the C system to tell the computer where the program starts. There should be exactly one main() in the program. The empty parentheses indicates that function main has no arguments.
2. The opening brace'{' marks the beginning of function main and the closing brace indicates the end of the program.
3. The lines between the /* & */ are all the comment line statements. The statements are never compiled and are for the sake of the programmer himself and for others to understand. 
   
   The printf() is a predefined ,standard C function for printing the output. Predefined means that it is a function that has already been written and compiled, and linked together with our program at the time of linking.
   Whatever is specified within the '(" ' & '")' will be printed on the output as it is.

We have seen that a basic C program has following parts

main() <------------Function name
{ <------------Start of program

....
... <---------Program statements
} <------------End of program

This was just a primer to get you interested in this subject. I look for you company in this journey for excellence in C/C++.