C_01 Introduction to C Language | C Programming Tutorials

Summary

This introductory video on programming in C language explores the necessity of programming, explaining how computers execute tasks through sequences of instructions, or programs. It highlights the importance of programming languages as a means to communicate with machines, which understand only binary language. The video delves into the evolution from machine-level to high-level languages, emphasizing C language's role in system programming, its development by Dennis Ritchie in 1972, and its significance in creating software like UNIX. The speaker promises to cover the compilation process and the role of compilers, linkers, and loaders in future videos, providing a foundational understanding before delving deeper into programming concepts.

Takeaways

• 💡 Programming is essential for communicating with computers to perform tasks, as they only understand binary language (0s and 1s).
• 🔢 Computers are general-purpose machines that can perform any computational task, but require specific instructions to do so.
• 📝 A program is a sequence of instructions written to tell the computer what task to perform.
• 🌐 The need for programming languages arises because computers do not understand human languages like English or Hindi.
• 🛠️ Programming languages act as a bridge between human-readable code and the binary language that computers execute.
• 🖥️ Computers come with pre-installed programs, including system software that manages hardware resources and application software for specific tasks.
• 💻 Writing programs in simple English is not sufficient; they must be written in a programming language that the computer can understand and convert into machine code.
• 🔑 The C language, developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972, is a system programming language used for writing operating systems and other software.
• ⚙️ C is a compiled language, which means that a compiler converts the human-readable C code into machine code that the CPU can execute.
• 📚 The development of C was primarily to overcome limitations of the B language and to write the Unix operating system.
• 🔄 High-level languages like C make programming more portable and less machine-dependent compared to lower-level machine or assembly languages.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of programming?

The primary purpose of programming is to communicate with the computer by writing a sequence of instructions that the computer can execute to perform a specific task or computational process.

Why do we need to write programs for a computer to perform tasks?

We need to write programs because computers can only understand binary language (0s and 1s), and they require a set of instructions to perform any task that we want them to do.

What are the two main types of programs found on a new computer?

The two main types of programs found on a new computer are system programs, which manage system resources and hardware, and application programs, which are used to perform specific tasks for the user, like web browsers and text editors.

What is the difference between system software and application software?

System software manages the computer's resources and hardware, while application software is designed to perform specific tasks for the user, such as word processing or browsing the internet.

Why do we need programming languages to write programs?

We need programming languages because they provide a way for humans to communicate with computers. They are structured with characters, keywords, syntax, and rules that allow us to write programs that can be understood and executed by the computer.

What is the significance of C language in the history of programming languages?

C language, developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972, is significant because it was used to write the UNIX operating system and is considered a system programming language. It was also the most widely used programming language during the 1980s and was standardized by ANSI in 1989.

What is the role of a compiler in programming?

A compiler converts the high-level language code, such as C, into machine-level code or object code, which consists of zeros and ones that the computer's CPU can execute.

Why is the C language considered a compiled language?

The C language is considered a compiled language because it requires a compiler to translate the code into machine-level instructions before it can be executed by the CPU.

What is the difference between high-level languages and machine-level languages?

High-level languages, like C, are more abstract and human-readable, while machine-level languages consist of binary code (0s and 1s) that the CPU can directly execute. High-level languages require a compiler to convert them into machine-level code.

Why was the C language originally developed?

The C language was originally developed to overcome the limitations of the B language and to write the UNIX operating system. It was designed to be more powerful and suitable for system programming tasks.

What are some examples of software that has been written in the C language?

Examples of software written in C language include the UNIX operating system, Oracle, Android's core libraries, major parts of web browsers, and device drivers.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Introduction to Programming and C Language

The first paragraph introduces the concept of programming, explaining why programs are necessary and how they communicate with computers. It emphasizes that computers are general-purpose machines capable of performing any computational task but require specific instructions to do so. The speaker clarifies that computers understand binary language and that programs are sequences of instructions written in a language the computer can interpret. The paragraph also touches on the presence of system and application software on new computers and the need for users to write their own programs for specific tasks. It sets the stage for discussing programming languages and the C language in particular, which is the focus of the course.

05:04

🔧 Understanding Programming Languages and CPU's Role

This paragraph delves into the evolution of programming languages, starting from machine-level languages to high-level languages like C and Java. It highlights the difficulty of writing programs in machine language due to its dependence on specific CPU architectures, making it non-portable across different machines. The paragraph introduces the concept of assembly languages and the importance of high-level languages in enhancing portability. It also discusses the development of the C language by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 at Bell Laboratories, its role in writing the UNIX operating system, and its prevalence in system programming. The speaker mentions that C is a compiled language, which requires a compiler to convert the code into machine code for execution by the CPU.

10:05

🛠 The Compilation Process and C Language's Legacy

The final paragraph focuses on the process of compiling a C program into an executable form that the CPU can understand and execute. It explains that the source code, typically with a '.c' extension, is compiled into an object file, which is then linked and loaded to form an executable file. The speaker promises to cover the complete process, including the roles of the compiler, linker, and loader, in a separate video. The paragraph also acknowledges the widespread use of C language in the 1980s and its standardization by ANSI in 1989. It concludes by setting expectations for the next video in the series.

Keywords

💡Programming

Programming is the process of writing sequences of instructions to enable a computer to perform specific tasks. It is central to the video's theme, as it discusses why programming is necessary and how it allows humans to communicate with computers. The script mentions that without programs, a computer cannot perform any computational tasks, highlighting the fundamental role of programming in making computers useful.

💡Computer

A computer, as described in the video, is a general-purpose machine capable of performing any computational task. It is the primary device that executes programs written by programmers. The script uses the term to explain that computers understand binary language, which is why programming languages act as a bridge for human-to-computer communication.

💡Binary Language

Binary language is the native language of computers, consisting of 0s and 1s. The video emphasizes that computers can only understand binary, which is why programmers write code that eventually gets translated into binary for execution. The script provides an example of how a simple addition operation in human language would be converted into binary for the computer to understand.

💡Programming Languages

Programming languages are formal languages designed to communicate instructions to a computer. The video discusses the importance of these languages as intermediaries between human-readable code and machine-understandable binary. It also differentiates between high-level languages like C, which are closer to human language, and low-level languages, which are closer to machine language.

💡C Language

C Language is a specific programming language highlighted in the video. It was developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 and is known for its role in system programming, including the development of the UNIX operating system. The script explains that C is a compiled language, which means that source code written in C must be compiled into machine code before it can be executed by a computer.

💡System Software

System software refers to the programs that manage the system resources and hardware of a computer. The video script mentions system software as a type of software that is pre-installed on new computers, which includes operating systems and other programs that manage the computer's functions.

💡Application Software

Application software, as discussed in the video, consists of programs designed to perform specific tasks for the user, such as web browsers and text editors. The script uses the term to illustrate how application software is different from system software, focusing on user-facing tasks rather than system management.

💡Compiler

A compiler is a program that translates code written in a high-level programming language into machine code. The video script explains that C language programs are compiled into object files, which are then executed by the computer's CPU. The compiler plays a crucial role in the process of turning human-readable code into executable machine code.

💡CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the primary component of a computer that performs the basic arithmetic, logic, and input/output operations. The video script describes the CPU as the 'heart' of the computer, emphasizing its role in executing the machine code produced by compilers.

💡Machine Level Language

Machine level language, as mentioned in the video, refers to the low-level language that a computer's CPU can directly execute. It is a series of binary instructions that are specific to the CPU architecture. The script contrasts machine level language with high-level languages like C, highlighting the difficulty in writing and porting machine-level code across different computer architectures.

💡Portability

Portability in the context of programming refers to the ability to run a program on different types of computers without modification, or with minimal modification. The video script discusses how high-level languages like C enhance portability, allowing programs to be easily transferred and executed on different machines, overcoming the limitations of machine-level languages.

Highlights

Introduction to the course on programming in C language.

Discussion on the necessity of programming and why programs are written.

Explanation of how computers perform computational tasks through programs.

The importance of programming languages as a medium to communicate with computers.

Computers understand binary language, consisting only of 0s and 1s.

Programs are sequences of instructions for computers to perform tasks.

Differentiation between system programs and application programs.

The role of application software in performing user-specific tasks.

The need for programming languages to write programs comprehensible to humans.

Learning the basics of a programming language involves understanding its characters, keywords, syntax, and rules.

C language was developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 at Bell Laboratories.

C language was created as a successor to the B language for more powerful capabilities.

C language is widely used for system programming, including writing the Unix operating system.

C language was standardized by ANSI in 1989, becoming known as ANSI C.

The process of converting C language programs into machine code by a compiler.

C language is a compiled language, requiring a compiler to translate it into executable machine code.

The role of the CPU (Central Processing Unit) in executing machine code.

Introduction to the concept of machine level, assembly level, high level, and low level languages.

The historical context and evolution of programming languages from machine code to high-level languages.

The upcoming discussion on interpreters and the difference from compilers.

Conclusion of the first video with a teaser for the next video in the series.

Transcripts

so i'm going to start a course on

programming in c language and this is

the first video so i'm going to discuss

some basic things in this video

like what is need of programming why do

you write programs what is need of

writing these programs what is need of

programming languages and then we will

come to c language right so now let us

discuss what is need of programming why

do you write programs see

computer is what it's you can say

machine or you can say general purpose

machine the use of computer is what

which can be which can perform any task

any computational task not any task any

computational task it can perform right

but how do you communicate with computer

like suppose if you want to add two

numbers then it's not like that you will

say hey computer i want to add two

numbers four and five so tell me what is

the addition of four and five

no

computer will not understand your

language

so now what you will do

we will write some instructions you can

say sequence of instructions and we will

give those sequence or set of

instructions to computer

and then according to that computer will

perform your task right

so those set of instruction or what

program sequence of instructions are

what programs right that is why if you

want that your computer will perform

some task for you you have to write

programs right that is why we need to

write programs fine

but now see

the language of computer is what

binary language i hope everybody knows 0

and 1 computer can understand only

0 and 1 binary

so

if you write like if you write

instructions in english language in the

language or in any language computer

will not understand

then

what we will do that also will discuss

how that language how that program will

be converted into zero and when and then

computer will perform your task fine so

basically you can say what computer run

by programs computer is nothing without

programs it cannot do anything without

programs

when you purchase a new laptop or

computer that has already you know many

programs are already there in uh that

program so you can sorry in your

computer like some system programs

application programs or you must have

heard about system software's

application software software is what

definitely it is a set of programs right

so system programs means what they are

going to manage that system resources

they are going to manage the hardware

and application programs or application

softwares are what

they are basically used to perform your

task your favorite task like um web

browser is application software

and text editor in which you you can

edit you can write text you can edit

text ms office that is also a

application software right but suppose

if you want computer to perform

your task any specific task according to

that you have to write your own program

and you have to submit that program you

have to give that program to computer

and then computer will understand your

program or you can say those sequence of

instructions and according to that will

give you some output

right so now how do you write programs

like it's not like in simple english

language you will write programs and

submit to computer no it is not going to

understand

so for that thing we need programming

languages right see when we communicate

with each other

like if i want to communicate with you

then the languages may be english hindi

right

so and for communication what first of

all you need to understand the the

alphabets first we we uh

study what abcd and then words

then we frame sentences by using

grammars and all right and then we

communicate then we frame sentences and

then we communicate with each other

same thing in language also you need to

learn

something before before writing the

programs like

the characters

character set of that language keywords

and

some syntaxes and some rules right and

then we can write programs and then we

can interact with computers

right

but the point here is what computer can

understand only 0 and 1 and you are

writing programs in what

if suppose c language we take example of

c language then definitely we are not

going to write like 0 1 0 0 1 suppose i

write this one

this is a bunch of 0's and 1 but we are

not able to understand what is meaning

of this thing

right but maybe computer can understand

obviously commuter will understand

because it is language of computer

right

so we write what hash include studio dot

touch hash include corneo dot then word

main then

integer a b

a b then printf scanf and everything

so

that

program first of all have to be

converted into

this language machine language zero and

one form

and then computer will

execute your program or more

specifically i would say cpu

because it is what processor central

processing unit

this is processor this is you can say

heart of computer the calculation the

computation the task which you are going

you need to perform on computer that is

going to be performed by cpu more

specifically if i will say

then cpu will give you

output right so if you write

program in this format this is what

machine level language i hope you have

heard about machine level languages

assembly level languages then high level

languages or low level languages middle

level languages right but we will uh

generally prefer to call high level

languages right high level languages

means the c c plus plus java these are

understandable by human because if we

write this if we see at this code

then we are not going we will not

understand what is this so this is

machine level

language right but before invention of

these high level languages they used to

write programs in this format see you

can imagine how tough it was at that

time

to write program in this language

machine language because see

and this is what this is according to

you know

those uh cpu architecture some set of

specifications are there which some

architecture is there which cpu follows

uh i think you will you or maybe you

have studied the subject co a computer

organization and architecture in that

you must have studied those

architectures right

so according to those specification

those arc architecture of the cpu this

code will differ

it means it is machine dependent in one

computer

the same program like addition of two

numbers let us suppose uh

in at one cpu

right

suppose according to the cpu

architecture of the specifications the

instruction can be given in 20 bits like

20 bits right

and first 4 bit are for

operator i hope everybody know like i

suppose i am writing 1 plus 2

1 and 2 these are operands and plus is

operator here we write as op code

suppose these first 4 bits are for this

class to indicate this plus and

suppose here plus

i'll write like 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0

so computer will understand

that this is for plus

that he has to perform plus operation

right and then next 8 bits are for 1

this operand and next eight bit are for

second operand we will write these two

operands into binary form right

like zero zero zero seven zeros and one

and two how you will write

this is two in binary form so that we

will write here and when we submit this

instruction then

the cpu will perform addition on one on

one and two and it will give you the

result right and suppose

the according to the specification of

cpu to second processor

may be there

plus

is 0 0 0 1

right or maybe the length of the

instruction is something else not 20

bits

so

it's not easy to write programs in

machine language because it is dependent

on

that machine to machine so it is not the

programs are not portable in one machine

if you are writing program for edition

then again you have to write rewrite

that program for second machine it's not

like that the same program will run on

second machine

that is very difficult then

assembly level languages come

these levels will discuss in a separate

video with more details and after that

high level languages come to overcome

these limitations to add portability

concept so that one program on one

machine we write and that program can

easily be ported to second machine means

we can

we can run that program same program on

second machine also without any

modification or maybe you can say with

few modifications

right so now let us discuss what is c

language

see it was developed by dennis ritchie

in 1972 where bell laboratories the

headquarter of these bell labs are where

in new jersey u.s right

and it is before c the language was

developed b language

so you can say c is what successor of b

language it was developed by uh

ken thompson right why c language was

developed at that time basically the

main purpose was

to uh you know uh

write operating system that is unix

operating system

that was already written in b language

but there was some limitations so to

overcome those limitations because c was

more powerful than b language right

so they used

to

write the kernel of unix operating

system they used this language c

language so c is basically you can say

it's a system programming languages

language many softwares have been

written in c language oracle android the

core libraries of android was written in

c language

major part of web browser is written in

c language device drivers written in c

language and unix operating system so c

is you can say the most popular

programming language and during 1980s c

was the most widely used programming

language

and in 1989 it was standardized by ansi

that is why uh after that it is called a

nsic

and see

how the computer is going to understand

what whatever we will write in c

language because here it is not machine

level language here we are not going to

write the bunch of zeros and ones right

so first of all the program that you

will write in c language that is to be

converted into that object uh file or

object code or you can say that machine

code zeros and ones and who is going to

convert it compiler

that is why it is known as compiled

language right and the program is ah

written like the name of the program is

abc suppose and the extension of c

program is

dot c right so uh the compiler is going

to convert it into that obj file object

code machine level code and then

the cpu will run this

program the whole process we are going

to discuss in a separate video like the

basic the execution how the program is

going to be executed when it is going to

be converted in object file by

whom and what is the role of that linker

and loader and executable file when

executable file will be

formed and

then

how you will get the output that also

will discuss in a separate video the

complete process one more ah thing is

interpreter and the main task of

interpreter is also

to convert this program high level

program into object code but the

difference will see in a separate video

so now that's it for this video now i'm

going to see in the next video till then

bye take