Beginning Programming with C For Dummies

Introduction

St ay 'Hello. world' to Beginning Programming with C For Dummies. a book that transforms you from a well-meaning. caring human being Into an admired element of the underground nerd subculture. the programmer. Oh. yes. that's a good thing. When you learn to code in C you become the ultimate master of a number of electronic ginos. You can craft your own programs. dictating to computers. tablets. and cell phones your very whims and desires. And the electronics dutifully obey. Given the Information offered In this book, you can pass that programming class. Impress your friends. be admired by Hollywood. or even start your own software company. Yes. reaming to program Is a worthy investment of your time. This book helps make learning how to program understandable and enjoyable. You don't need any programming experience — you don't even need to buy a new software. You just need the desire to program in C and the ability to have fun while doing so.

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Is the C Language Relevant? 

An argument surfaces every few years that learning C is a road to nowhere. Newer, better programming languages exist, and It's far better to learn them than to waste time reaming C.
Poppycock.
In away. C is the Latin of computer languages. Just about every Johnny!, come-lately programming language uses C syntax. C keywords and even certain functions find their way into other popular languages, from C• • to Java to Python to whatever the latest, trendy language could be.
My point is that once you learn C programming. all those other programming languages come easy. In fact, many of the books that teach those other languages often assume that you know a little C before you start out. That can be frustrating for any beginner — but not when you already know C.
Despite what the pundits and poobahs say. C is still relevant. Programming for microcontrollers. operating systems. and major software packages Is still done using good or C. You are not wasting your time.

The C Programming For

Dummies Approach

As a programmer, I’ve toiled through many, many programming books. I
know what I really don’t like to see, and, lamentably, I see it often — that is,
where the author writes pages-long code or simply boasts about what he
knows, impressing his fellow nerds and not really teaching anything. Too
much of that type of training exists, which is probably why you’ve picked up
this book.
My approach here is simple: Short programs. To-the-point demonstrations.
Lots of examples. Plenty of exercises.
The best way to learn something is by doing it. Each concept presented in
this book is coupled with the sample code. The listings are short enough that you
can quickly type them in — and I recommend that you do so. You can then
build and run the code to see how things work. This immediate feedback is
not only gratifying it’s also a marvelous learning tool.
Sample programs are followed by exercises you can try on your own, testing
your skills and expanding your knowledge. Suggested answers to the exercises
can be found on this book’s companion website

How This Book Works

This book teaches the C programming language. It starts out by assuming
that you know little to nothing about programming, and it finishes by covering
some of the more advanced C operations.
To program in C, you need a computer. This book makes no assumptions
about the computer you select: It can be a Windows PC, a Macintosh, or a
Linux system. Central to all systems, and to programming in this book, is to
set up and use the Code:: Blocks integrated development environment or IDE.
Steps to do so are offered in Chapter 1.
This book also wastes no time, getting you started immediately in Chapter 1.
Nothing is introduced without a full explanation first, although due to the
nature of programming, I’ve made a few exceptions; they’re carefully noted in
the text. Otherwise, the book flows from front to back, which is how you can
best read this book.