C

Description

A weakly typed imperative language in the CPL branch of the Algol family of programming languages, the predecessor to C++ and a direct descendant of BCPL although it uses a very different syntax. Currently the worlds second most popular programming language after Java.

A list of OS/2 implementations of C

• Borland C/C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Cint - Open source - Current - Interpreter from CERN, intended for educational use
• EMX Compiler - Open Source - Discontinued
• GCC C/C++ Compiler and Linker - Open Source - Current
• Innotek GCC - Open Source - Discontinued
• IBM C/2 - Commercial for 16 bit OS/2 only - Discontinued
• IBM C Set/2 - Commercial - Discontinued
• IBM VisualAge C++ Version 3.0 for OS/2 - Commercial - Discontinued
• IBM C and C++ Compilers, Version 3.6.5 - Commercial - Discontinued
• IBM VisualAge C++ Professional 4.0 - Commercial - Discontinued
• Lattice C - Commercial - Discontinued
• Metaware High C/C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Microsoft C - Commercial - Discontinued.
• OpenWatcom C/C++ - Open Source - Current
• TopSpeed C - Commercial - Discontinued
• Zortech C++ - Commercial - Discontinued

Libraries

• dbfLIB - A tool that allows you to work with xBase databases - Commercial - Discontinued.
• Lattice Comm Library - ANSI C communication library - Commercial - Discontinued.
• Lattice dBC III - A tool that allows you to work with xBase databases - Commercial - Discontinued.

GUI and application generators with C output

• General Application Workbench - GUI, animation, help and SQL - Commercial - Discontinued
• Hockware VisPro/C - GUI Creator - Commercial - Discontinued
• PCYACC/2 - CASE too with C output, targeted towards generating parsers etc. - Commercial - Discontinued
• Vestronix Pro C - Database and spreadsheet application generator - Commercial - Discontinued

Translators that generate C output

• The APL c compiler project - Open source - Current.
• Oracle Pro C - SQL > C - Commercial - Discontinued
• X2C - xBase to C compiler - Open Source - Current

A list of DOS implementations of C

• Borland C/Turbo C - Commercial - Discontinued - Some versions now freeware
• Cint - Open source - Current - Interpreter from CERN, intended for educational use
• Desmet C - Was commercial - now open source.
• Dev86dos - Open source - Current - Kludgy
• EMX Compiler - Open Source - Discontinued
• [Intel C Code Builder] - Commercial - Discontinued.
• Lattice C - Commercial - Discontinued
• LSI-C - Freeware - Current - Cross compilation from Windows or Unices only. - English here
• Metaware High C/C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Microsoft C - Commercial - Discontinued
• Mix Power C - Commercial - Current
• OpenWatcom C/C++ - Open Source - Current
• Pacific C - Commercial - Discontinued - Was shareware is now freeware
• Portable C - Open source - DOS and cross compilation for 68000 and AMD RISC processors.
• TCC - Open source - Discontinued - Cross compilation from Windows or Linux only.
• TopSpeed C - Commercial - Discontinued
• Zortech C++ - Commercial - Discontinued

A list of C implementations that run under WinOS/2

• OpenWatcom C/C++ - Open Source - Current
• TopSpeed C - Commercial - Discontinued - Cross compilation from DOS or OS/2 only

Links

USENET

• comp.lang.c.moderated - Moderated C discussion group - Go to the Google groups version if your ISP does not offer USENET access or you are in any other way newsgroup challenged.

Standards

• Early versions do not follow any standard and there were lots of C versions out there that were incompatible with each other, with every American university appearing to have its own version for a while.
• In 1978 Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie published "The C Programming Language" book which became an informal standard, referred to as "K&R C", the only problem being that it is not 100% internally coherent.
• ANSI committee X3J11 was formed in 1983 to standardise the language, compiler manufacturers started to talk about "ANSI C" almost immediatly based upon drafts, but actually the ANSI X3.159-1989 standard was not ratified until 1989. This means that when working with old "ANSI C" compatible tools and code they may differ somewhat from the standard.
• The ANSI X3.159-1989 was ratified by ISO in 1990 with only minor changes and that is the reason that the basic C standard is sometimes known as either C89 or C90
• The ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG14 working group produced the ISO/IEC 9899:1999 which is known informally as "C99", note that there are three later additions/amendments to the standard and therefore not all C99 code is 100% compatible.
• In 2011 the ISO/IEC 9899:2011 or "C11" standard was introduced, while there is some language changes, the main changes are in the standard libraries.