Ask A Scientist© Computer Science Archive

Index Key:   CSI018
Author:      Gabster
Subject:     Help with the history of C language.  BCPL
Text:        I would like to get some information on the history of the C 
language, especially dates and roots. Also, if possible, I would like to know 
more about the motivations of the authors for writing it etc... (what does 
BCPL stands for?) I realize that this is not exactly a computer science 
question, but I hope you can be helpful. Thanks. 

Response #: 1 of 1
Author:     Daniel Lee Luchinski
Text:      The C language is a general-purpose programming language that was 
originally designed by Dennis Ritchie of Bell Laboratories and implemented 
there on a PDP-11 in 1972.  It was first used as the systems language for the 
UNIX operating system.  The developer of UNIX, Ken Thompson, had been using 
both assembler and a language named B to produce initial versions of UNIX in 
1970.  The invention of C came about to overcome the limitations of B.  B was 
a programming language based on BCPL.  BCPL was developed as a tapeless 
systems programming language, by Martin Richards.  BCPL basic data type was 
the machine word, and it made heavy use of pointers and address arithmetic.  C 
evolved from B and BCPL and incorporated typing.  As for what BCPL stands for, 
I will have to get back to you on that.