C is the backbone of many other programming languages.
C is highly flexible or machine-independent. Requires few or no changes to execute code on any machine
C comprises several built-in functions that can be utilized to develop programs.
It is a mid-level programming language; it supports both high-level and low- level programming languages.
The use of algorithms and C data structures has made computational programs very fast and efficient.
The modular structure facilitates code debugging, service, and testing.
C is extensible, it has its own set of functions in the C library and provides the facility to add its own functions to the C standard library.
A system-based programming system is used. This means that programming is made to hardware devices.
C is a powerful language that contains numerous data types and operators to carry out all sorts of operations.
C provides a dynamic memory allocation which means that you are free to allocate memory at the time of execution.
Disadvantages of C:
C does not support object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts.
C provides low-level data abstraction.
It does not carry out the concept of namespace, constructor, or destructor.
C fails to exhibit exception handling.
Run-time checking is very complex for large programs.
It fails to provide strict data type checking.
Another limitation of C is non-reusability of code extensively.
Applications of C programming language:
Operating systems – It was initially developed to write the UNIX operating system. Later, Linux OS, Microsoft Windows, and various Android applications are written in C
Database Systems – MySQL is written in C
Compilers and Assemblers- Compiler Design is one of the most popular applications of C. Several popular compilers were designed using C. Examples include Apple C, Bloodshed Dev-C.
Gaming and Animation – Tic-Tac-Toe, Snake are some of the most simple games coded in C. With increasing advanced versions of graphics and functions, it finds several applications in this sector.
As C is closely related to machine hardware it is the best choice for scripting applications and network drivers of embedded systems.
GUI (Graphical User Interface) – Popular editor Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator were designed using C
Word Processors
Language Interpreters
IDEs (Integrated Development Environments)
As C supports high-level programming language it is useful for developing many software applications.