It is the grand-daddy of the programming languages.

So it is important from an archeological standpoint – well, I guess in IT, obsolete is when

the next version comes out.

C has several newer versions.

There’s a C 2.0 or 15.0?

You’re thinking iPhone 5 to iPhone 6 – but the original C language has evolved to Objective

C, which is used in the iPhone.

That’s a relevant. Can I say there is an app for that?

Actually, some of the apps and the entire iOS operating system is written in Objective

C.

So I need to learn C to write for Apple.

Objective C is an object oriented language used by the Apple products, using the basic

C vocabulary, which is huge, but a funky syntax.

I didn’t know that was a programming language.

There are a lot of weirdly named programming languages, from lolcode to ook to whitespace

to piet. I think the weirdest programming accomplishment goes to the guy who made TempleOS,

an operating system that’s supposed to talk to god.

A lot of system admins think they are gods. Or demigods, whose whims control your fate

– at least in terms of productivity.

C is widely used by system administrators because it is the backbone of Unix and Linux.

That makes it pretty important.

C is the basis of C++, which is used to control drivers for sound cards, printers, video cards

and so forth.

I thought C++ was used in gaming.

It is used in some shoot-em-up games because other languages couldn’t handle the changing

graphics and 3D rendering fast enough to keep the sound and images in sync with the action.

That makes C or its latest incarnation important to a lot of people – at least, I think there

are a lot of gamers based on the fact that a lot of games sell more copies than top movies

get seen.

Video games do generate more money than movies when they do well. And then there are lots

of free ones that do not make much money at all.

I know JavaScript gets used for some of the simpler games, and other languages get used,

too. Does that make C language obsolete for gaming?

Some programming languages let you use a simpler syntax than C, which is known for having thousands

of commands and complex grammar, and then using C to control the audio and video controllers.

What else does C code do that is important?

C has been the go to programming language for servers and enterprise wide applications.

I don’t think I’ve seen C used in Star Wars or Star Trek, though I did see set designer

initials spelled out in Morse Code on some of the sets of Star Trek.

C gets used on server based applications like company wide payroll or inventory management.

Ah, so it is important because companies pay millions of dollars to support the software

that helps it make billions of dollars.

And C# is used for web-based applications for companies and websites.

C# is a musical note, you might have noticed.

C-sharp is another name for C on the dot-net framework advocated by Microsoft. You get

Sharepoint web application portals and similar such things built out of C-dot-net.

I’d consider Apple’s version of C more important than the company with several failed

OS on the worst operating system ever lists.