Why learn C

C is one of the most popular and influential programming languages in the world. It is the language of choice for development on Linux, and has been used extensively in the creation of OS X and to some extent Microsoft Windows. It is used on micro-computers too. Your fridge and car probably run on it. In modern software development, the use of C may be escapable, but its legacy is not. Anyone wanting to make a career out of software development would be smart to learn C.

A fridge • Your typical C user

But C is not about software development and careers. C is about freedom. It rose to fame on the back of technologies of collaboration and freedom - Unix, Linux, and The Libre Software Movement. It personifies the idea of personal liberty within computing. It wills you to take control of the technology affecting your life.

In this day and age, when technology is more powerful than ever, this could not be more important.

The ideology of freedom is reflected in the nature of C itself. There is little C hides from you, including its warts and flaws. There is little C stops you from doing, including breaking your programs in horrible ways. When programming in C you do not stand on a path, but a plane of decision, and C dares you to decide what to do.

C is also the language of fun and learning. Before the mainstream media got hold of it we had a word for this. Hacking. The philosophy that glorifies what is fun and clever. Nothing to do with the illegal unauthorised access of other peoples’ computers. Hacking is the philosophy of exploration, personal expression, pushing boundaries, and breaking the rules. It stands against hierarchy and bureaucracy. It celebrates the individual. Hacking baits you with fun, learning, and glory. Hacking is the promise that with a computer and access to the internet, you have the agency to change the world.

To want to master C is to care about what is powerful, clever, and free. To become a programmer with all the vast powers of technology at his or her fingertips and the responsibility to do something to benefit the world.