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Thread: C programmers - how did you break into it?

  1. #1

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    C programmers - how did you break into it?

    Hey folks,

    The paradigm I've come to know in learning programming languages has been something like the following:

    1) Learn about a cool intersection between a thing I want to do & a technology that can do it
    2) Learn enough about the technology to do the thing
    3) Brush up against things I don't know with continued use, learn even more

    This has worked pretty well for me so far. I've done a lot of fun hobby work with Python & JS. I managed to get a job as a C# developer. This was huge for me since I didn't study CS in school.

    Now I'm a semester deep into a CS masters program - hoping to fill conceptual gaps and strengthen foundations. I've been eyeing a class for next semester - Intro to Operating Systems. Low-level stuff - definitely requires some preparation on my part. Knowing C is a prerequisite & I've never really used it.

    I've done research and have found some resources. Currently working my way through (you need an account to see links) which seems promising. That being said - I have yet to find anything that matches the initial paradigm I mentioned.

    C programmers out there - did you have any rabbit-hole moments that helped you initially dive into C?

  2. #2
    crimsoneyes's Avatar
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    C was my first ever programming language, and the only thing I can say about it is to always look out for resources you malloced.

    Also pointers. definitely pointers. try to get a good grasp of double pointers and how they are used inside structs.

    You may also want to implement the following algorithms/data structures so you have at least a good understanding on how usually pointers are used.

    1. for each loop
    2. stacks
    3. lists
    4. BST

    on modern programming languages, these are simple. But on C, you need a good pointer knowledge to be able to create these
    Last edited by crimsoneyes; 10-21-2020 at 06:49 PM.

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    TsUNaMy WaVe's Avatar
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    I'm currently studying CS in uni, and indeed the OS class I took was all in C. I think what helped me get to work easily with C was my "path" to it.
    My first programming language was Java. Then I had to learn some other languages because different classes required different things. So at one point I had to learn how C++ worked. And from C++ to C the transition was pretty smooth. So, kinda moving slowly down the language level ladder is a good way.
    I think the most important things you need to remember when writing in C in compared to high level languages is the fact that the memory management is 100% in your hands from the moment your program is up until its off. You need to allocate memory accordingly to what you need, and free whenever you finish using a certain resource. It might seem like a headache coming from Python or even from Java, but that's what gives C one of its best quality - very impressing real-time runtimes.
    Last edited by TsUNaMy WaVe; 10-25-2020 at 06:22 AM.

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