this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2023
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C Programming Language

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What are some popular applications that use C? (programming.dev)
submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hey, so I've been searching the web for a while for some popular applications that use C. All that I can find so far is, Git, Vim, Linux, and Unix. I also know the Windows kernel uses it a little bit, but that's it. Does anyone know some popular apps that use C? Doesn't have to be programming related, just an actual app that's written in C? Sorry if this question sounds redundant or anything.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Just about every language is written in C. Even GW-BASIC was written in C (most BASIC interpreters were written in assembly code at the time).

When all the code was being rewritten for Y2K, C was used because it was really the only language that was portable at the time, you could write the program on a PC, and then compile and configure it on a mainframe, or vice versa.

A more pertinent question would be what isn't wriiten in C.

Critical software, like interfaces, machine operation or database systems, are generally not written in C. That's because C code can be dense and obscure. If the original programmer retire or goes missing, and the system crashes, no one else may have a clue what they've actually coded. So a more explicable, higher level language is used and C is quarantined to use in system software where its power and access is useful.