Is it worth to learn C programming in 2018?

There are many great reasons to learn a programming language, and even if you just learn one higher level scripting language like JavaScript or Python, you’re still a programmer. There are definitely languages which are even more difficult than C. But learning C? Yes. It is important and useful because of its popularity and flexibility of use for memory management. C language mostly is used for system programming. Don't get us wrong; if you want to understand the underlying process and have the most options when it comes to the final product, you need to put in the effort of the manual method. This is a lot like tackling the C programming language. However, we do think that there are lots of advantages to learning C language, though mastering any single language is still a challenge and a worthy goal.

So, let's dig the reasons out - why should you learn C language in 2018?

• C is one of the most important of all programming languages. It is used to program desktop applications, tools and utilities and even hardware devices.

• C is the language of compilers, interpreters, editors, operating systems and embedded programming.

• C is simple, elegant and wicked fast. It’s compact and efficient because C has raw pointers, bitwise operators, and the keywords like - extern, volatile, static, and register. You’ll understand more about writing efficient code than you can glean from any higher level language.

• Though C is simple it is one of the most powerful languages ever created.

• C was the programming language developed at AT&T's Bell Laboratories of the USA beginning in 1972. It was mainly designed by Dennis Ritchie.

• In this dynamic, IT world new language come every day and get obsolete, so there must be something in the C which has remained there for 3 decades and more and even today there is hardly any language which can match its strength.

• When you learn to program in C you almost have to gain an understanding of how programs execute. You know what things like register, stack, heap, and memory mapped IO mean. You start to think how much better life would have been if you had been born with sixteen fingers.

• When you work in languages like Java, C#, and even Python, you immediately start moving away from learning the fundamentals of a programming language and you start learning associated libraries and frameworks. But with C you get a few library calls, you stay focused on the semantics of the language longer, and C often forces you to think harder and deeper about what’s happening under the hood.

• It is language on which C++ is based on, hence C# also derives its origin from the C. Java is also a distant cousin of C and share the same programming concept and syntax of C. These are currently dominant languages in the world. To rock the world through them you must get rocking with C. That’s why C called as the family of languages which generally includes languages like - C++, C#, Java, ECMAScript (aka JavaScript), Objective-C and many others.

• You can easily write hard-to-read, difficult to maintain code in C.

• C is not an object oriented language so you don’t get distracted by things like inheritance and polymorphism.

• Once you've learned C, and written a couple of embedded programs on some single board computers, learning C++ is a natural next step.

• C is a middle-level language because it combines the best part of a high-level language with low-level language. It is both user and machine oriented and provides infinite possibilities.

• Whenever it comes to performance (speed of execution), C can be unbeatable.

• Major parts of the Windows, Unix, and Linux are still written in C. So if you want to modify these OS kernels or create your own you need to know C.

• In the operating systems, device drivers and other modules are written in C. The reason is that C provides you access to the basic elements of the computer. It gives you direct access to the memory of your CPU through pointers. It allows you to manipulate and play with bits and bytes.

• Even today the astounding 3D games often use C as their core.

• C is designed from the base to top to be a block-structured language. Each code exists in a separate block and is not known to code in other block providing easy means of programming and minimizing the possibilities of undesirable side effects.

 

Our final argument for learning C is tied to doing embedded programming. Who could have imagined that more than 46 years after its creation, the C programming language would not only be going strong, it still rank highly on various programming-language indexes. As a programmer, you always get a sense of satisfaction when you will deliver any working piece of code. Making a computer do what you want can be satisfying. So, yes. In 2018, we would highly suggest learning C.

What do you think about this language? Is it same as we think, or something else?  Share your experiences with us in the comment section. Thank you!