C

C is one of the oldest and most influential programming languages, widely used for the development of operating systems, system software, drivers and embedded systems. Together with C++, an object-oriented extension of C, it is one of the most widely used programming languages in the world.

The C programming language was developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in the 1970s and has since gained enormous importance. Its simplicity, efficiency and portability have contributed to it continuing to play an important role in software development.

C++ is a further development of C, which was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup in the late 1970s. It extends the functionality of C with object-oriented programming, classes, inheritance and other advanced concepts. C++ is often used for the development of applications, games, frameworks and libraries.

Both languages, C and C++, are standardized by ANSI, which means that they have a set of defined syntax and semantics rules. However, they are also used in various dialects that have specific features or extensions. Examples of this are QuickC, TurboC and others.

Vendor-specific libraries and compilers often extend the functionality of C and C++ to enable specific requirements or optimizations. Companies such as Intel, Borland (now Inprise) and Microsoft have developed their own implementations and extensions to improve the performance and usability of their development tools.

Overall, C and C++ remain important programming languages today and are used in many different application areas. Their flexibility, performance and broad support make them indispensable tools for developers around the world.