Hey, friends!

When we talk about programming languages, there’s always someone who asks:“It’s 2025, what’s the use of learning C language? Isn’t it a bit outdated?”

Before we dive into hardcore theoretical knowledge, I want to address two questions at once:

• First, what is the current status of C language today?

• Second, how should we approach learning it?

So today, we won’t discuss boring syntax or complex code, but rather listen to a legendary story about C language, followed by a true experience I had with the publisher. I believe that after hearing this, you will have a new understanding of C language and how to learn it.

01

The Legendary Journey of C Language

Creators: Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson

The story begins with two “good friends” from Bell Labs—Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson.

Dennis Ritchie

Ken Thompson

How amazing were these two gods?

Let’s put it this way: if you think Steve Jobs changed the world, then these two are the ones who provided the “brushes” for the Jobs of the world. Dennis Ritchie passed away in October 2011, just a week after Jobs, but the media spotlight mostly shone on the latter. However, in the tech community, the contributions of Ritchie and Thompson are indisputable monuments.

They not only jointly created the great UNIX operating system, but Dennis Ritchie is also revered as the “father of C language.” For this outstanding contribution, they jointly received the Turing Award in 1983—this is the highest honor known as the “Nobel Prize of computing!”

02

From B to C: A Language Revolution Triggered by a “Meme”

In the early days of UNIX, interacting with computers was not as simple as clicking a mouse; it was a pure “black box” world. At that time, the main language that UNIX could “understand” was called B language.

However, as they used it, Ritchie and Thompson felt thatB language had limited expressiveness, and communicating with the computer always felt “inadequate” and somewhat cumbersome.

This is like when you’re “meme-ing” with a friend, and they don’t get it, leading to an awkward situation.

So, the two decided to create a new, more powerful “meme” that would allow the computer to understand their intentions more clearly and efficiently. Thus, C language was born on the foundation of B language! This new “meme” was so useful that even the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) later established an international standard syntax for it (ANSI C), ensuring its normativity and portability.

03

Era Stars: Linux Kernel and Git

If Ritchie and Thompson are the gods of C language, then another god— Linus Torvalds—has taken the “open source” spirit to its peak using C language.

Linus Torvalds

Based on the design philosophy of UNIX, Linus wrote a groundbreaking operating system kernel— Linux. Today, from Android phones to web servers, from financial systems to IoT devices, Linux is almost everywhere. Moreover, the Linux kernel is still predominantly written in pure C language.

Not only that, but Linus also developed another “artifact” usingC language— Git. This version control system, used by almost all software companies, is another testament to the powerful capabilities of C language.

Besides Linux and Git, the “works” of C language almost constitute a history of modern computer software development. The following renowned projects are all built on C language:

• Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis

• Web Servers: Nginx, Apache

• Programming Language Interpreters: Python (CPython)

• Multimedia Processing: FFmpeg, VLC Media Player

Having seen all this, do you still thinkC language is outdated? It has merely taken a backseat, supporting the prosperity of the entire internet world in the most unpretentious way.

04

How Should We LearnC Language?

Well, sinceC language is so important, how should we learn it? Should we first find a “holy book”?

Let’s talk about textbooks: Why did I reject the People’s Posts and Telecommunications Press?

While preparing for this course, I reviewed a large number ofC language books on the market, and frankly, none of them are perfect.

Some students might think I’m “bragging.” So let me “brag” a bit.

Previously, when I had less than 100,000 followers, the well-known People’s Posts and Telecommunications Press in China contacted me, inviting me to participate in writing aC language textbook.

This sounded like a great opportunity for fame and fortune, right? But I declined.

The freedom to create is far more important than “fame”

Why did I refuse? The reason is simple:I didn’t want to lose my creative freedom.

As you know, my teaching style is quite “free-spirited.” I like to use relatable, even slightly “edgy” metaphors to make abstract knowledge easy to understand. If it were to be written as a textbook, it would inevitably go through layers of strict reviews, and those rules would completely restrict my expression.

The result would be a textbook that is stable but reads like a bland “standard” textbook. That’s not my style and goes against my original intention for this course. For me, without creative freedom, I’d rather not do it.

Having said all this, the core point I want to express is:

Don’t blindly trust any textbook, and don’t blindly trust any teacher, including me.

On the path of learning, you won’t find an “expert.” Just because you bought a “holy book” or watched my course doesn’t mean you’ll definitely succeed in graduate school or become a tech guru.

Books are dead, but people are alive. Knowledge needs to be understood, practiced, made mistakes, and summarized by yourself.

There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes. The key is whether you have actively thought about it.

So, stop worrying about “which textbook is the best.” Just choose a well-reviewed one andput more energy into practice and thinking.

Remember, this “old soldier” C language has long become an immortal legend. To master it, all you need to do is become the main character of your own learning journey.