I want to learn C

Perfect response haha.

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But seriously....why?
 
C ain't the easiest program language to start learning from... If you know other languages already (perl, java, delphi, php, assembly etc), then C will be a lot easier to manage. But I still suggest that rather learn C++, unless you want to learn especially C for some reason, as C is a bit dated by now (I think it was invented in like 1972 compared to the C++ which ain't that new either; It came out in 1983).
 
C ain't the easiest program language to start learning from... If you know other languages already (perl, java, delphi, php, assembly etc), then C will be a lot easier to manage. But I still suggest that rather learn C++, unless you want to learn especially C for some reason.

It's gotta be C for the module i'm doing next year. The reasoning being that as a modern physicist you often have to be writing your own drivers for devices you've made/ had made for a specific experiment.
 
Yeh C is a bit dated, but unfortunately that's what a lot of physics/engineering departments are still using. MATLAB might be worth learning too.
 
Well they still have a pascal class at my college, so I suppose everything is still in use somewhere :-)

I will say, I started off on basic code on a Commodore 64, then learned Pascal, then learned C++... That was a great progression to make, made everything really easy.
 
I started programming C++ as my first language this year at university (I did a bit of HTML and knew the basics of Javascript though.). It's really not hard to learn and there's tons of books out there to get you started. I'd suggest you my Uni book but it's in french :P Check out Big C++ which is pretty much the reference out there if you're getting serious about it. Otherwise there's a ton of tutorials on the net to get you started. Learn about basic variables, conventions and functions to start with and try to explore and make up your own simple little programs.
 
I would recommend the book written by the author of C himself:

http://books.google.com/books?id=16...ook_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA

It has everything you need about language, but it's a bit tightly packed. Not a light read for non programmer, but that book + internet will do good.

And about C++... Yes C++ is a must these days, but you won't loose time by learning C because C++ is superset (almost) of C. So, you after C you can just continue on to C++. Then again if you need it just for driver development, C is enough.

*alt+tabs away to Visual Studio :)
 
That shit is nuts. Half the time it barely looks any better than machine code.

Now take a guess why ;)

For me, C is a bit of a strange thing. I know how to use it (and C++) and program with it, but I really have no desire to program, or ideas what to do with it :lol: The only interesting part is when you use it for embedded systems, when you can do something that actually does something useful, like an automatic lighting control (turn the house lights on when it's dark enough (adjustable threshold), otherwise keep them off and save energy), or a movement detector that puts the coffee machine on when you enter the kitchen at a set time, for example between 7 - 9 in the morning.