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Introduction to
C Language

C language
in the browser

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Read it right next to your computer.
Book version bitter C
Read it right next to your computer.
Book version bitter C
Read it right next to your computer.
Book version bitter C
Read it right next to your computer.
Book version bitter C
learn through sufferingC Language
learn through sufferingC Language

K&R

"The C Programming Language"
If you aspire to learn C, you've likely heard of a book called K&R.
K&R is the world's first genuinely good explanation of the C language.
This book became a huge success in the industry, partly because it was written by one of the original developers of the C language.
K&R is sometimes called the best-selling book in the computer industry.

This book delves into the very fine details of the C language.
Back then, there weren't any proper standards for the C language.
"It was to the extent that a C compiler was built based on this K&R."

However, the author does not recommend that you read K&R.
Actually, or rather, you shouldn't read it.

The first reason is that the explanation is too unclear.
I think you're going to need a pretty good understanding of C to be able to read this book.
It seems the books themselves weren't intended to be read by beginners.

The second reason is the excessive use of pointers within the sample program.
For example, as an implementation of strcpy (string copy),

sum.c 
/* array版 */
void strcpy(char* s, char* t)
{
    int i;

    i = 0;
    while ((s[i] = t[i]) != '\0') i++;
}

Despite the introduction of a clearer example than those shown below,

sum.c 
/* Pointer版 */
void strcpy(char* s, char* t)
{
    while (*s++ = *t++);
}

which introduces a very convoluted example, and furthermore,

"Quoted from "The C Programming Language, 2nd Edition""
これは一見してわかりにくいように見えるが、この記法はかなり便利なものであり、
Because these idioms are commonly seen in C programs, they should be mastered.

I've noticed instances where people are deliberately encouraged to use obscure or unnecessarily complicated writing.

A third reason is that programs like these are convenient and fast, so it's worth remembering them.
It's an incredibly outdated explanation.

Such programs being fast is a thing of the past.
Currently, compilers optimize away loops of this magnitude.
Unless you write in a particularly unconventional way, there's hardly any difference in speed.


Results verified with the assembler.
このArticleをはじめて書いたときは、Pointer版とarray版で速度差がないかどうか、
We implemented and measured our own benchmark program to verify it.

しかし、Assemblerレベルで同等なのか、最新のVC(VC2005)で試したところ、
Pointer版はCode量が約半minuteで、ジャンプ命令も１つだけに抑えられており、
array版よりもコンパクトなCodeになっていることが判明しました。

It seems there's still room for optimization using the latter approach.
However, I think arrays are fine for parts that don't need special optimization.
現代のＣＰＵは、命令を変換し、並び替え、先読みするなど複雑な動作をしており、
Customizations at the assembly level are becoming less noticeable as speed differences.


K&R was certainly an excellent reference book back when there were no other C language guides available.
Reading K&R tends to poison my mind and make me want to write tricky programs.
Furthermore, it's explained in excessive detail, which makes it prone to unnecessary misunderstandings.

I think it's better to read K&R as a quick reference rather than a tutorial.
K&R is a slim volume, but it still covers all the features of the C language.
Not a bad thing to carry around as a mobile reference.

Furthermore, you can also use K&R's sometimes obscure explanations to check your own understanding.
If you understand K&R, you can probably say you have a decent grasp of the C language.


About This Site

Learning C language through suffering (Kushi C) is
This is the definitive introduction to the C language.
It systematically explains the basic functions of the C language.
The quality is equal to or higher than commercially available books.

Part 0: Program Overview
  1. What is a program?
Chapter 1: The World's Smallest Program
  1. A do-nothing program.
  2. A compiler is a translation software.
  3. Practice Problem 1
Chapter 2: How to Write Programs
  1. Rules of Writing
  2. Conventions of writing
  3. Practice Problem 2
Chapter 3: Displaying on the Screen
  1. String Display
  2. newline character
  3. Practice Problem 3
Chapter 4: Displaying and Calculating Numbers
  1. Display of numbers
  2. Basic calculations
  3. Numeric types
  4. Practice Problem 4
Chapter 5: Numerical Memory and Calculation
  1. Memorizing numbers.
  2. Types of Variables
  3. Type conversion
  4. Number formatting
  5. Practice Problem 5
Chapter 6: Input from the Keyboard
  1. input function
  2. The fear of input
  3. Practice Problem 6
Chapter 7: Comparison and Judgment
  1. Comparative sentences
  2. Comparison operators
  3. Execution of multiple processes
  4. Problem 7
Chapter 8: Performing Case-by-Case Processing
  1. Two cases
  2. Cases with three or more possibilities.
  3. Case by case basis
  4. Practice Problem 8
Chapter 9: Repeating a Fixed Number of Times
  1. Iterative sentence
  2. How Loops Work
  3. Practice Problem 9
Chapter 10: Repeating Without Knowing the Number of Times
  1. Unspecified loop
  2. Input validation
  3. Practice Problem 10
Chapter 11: How to Create Functions
  1. Creating custom functions
  2. Passing a number to a function.
  3. Return a number from a function.
  4. Practice Problem 11
Chapter 12: Variable Lifetime
  1. Variables with limited scope
  2. The last variable standing
  3. Variables that survive within a function
  4. Practice Problem 12
Chapter 13: Handling Multiple Variables at Once
  1. Handling multiple variables collectively.
  2. Arrays
  3. Practice Problem 13
Chapter 14: How to handle strings
  1. Handling Characters
  2. Ways to handle strings
  3. String manipulation functions
  4. Practice Problem 14
Chapter 15: How Pointer Variables Work
  1. The Mechanism of Memory
  2. Variables and Memory
  3. &付けが必要なvariableの正体
  4. Variable to store an address
  5. Let's try using pointer variables.
  6. Passing information through arguments
  7. &The Peculiar Relationship Between Arrays and Pointers
  8. Practice Problem 15
Chapter 16: Combining Multiple Types
  1. Combining variables of different types.
  2. Structure arguments
  3. Array of Structures
  4. Practice Problem 16
Chapter 17: Handling Files
  1. Reading and writing text files
  2. Reading and writing binary files
  3. Drug response
  4. Practice Problem 17
Chapter 18: Macro Functions
  1. Handling Immutable Values
  2. Constants by other means
  3. Implementing simple functions.
  4. Practice Problem 18
Chapter 19: Dynamic Arrays
  1. Create arrays freely.
  2. Practice Problem 19
Chapter 20: Multiple Source Files
  1. Minimal partitioning
  2. The Divide Principle
  3. Practice Problem 20