Book excerpt: Ready, set, code! A user-friendly guide introducing the C programming language to new and intermediate coders The C programming language and its direct descendants are widespread and among the most popular programming languages used in the world today. The enduring popularity of C continues because C programs are fast, concise, and run on many different systems. Flexible and efficient, C is designed for a wide variety of programming tasks: system-level code, text processing, graphics, telecommunications, and many other application areas. C All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies is for beginning and intermediate C programmers and provides a solid overview of the C programming language, from the basics to advanced concepts, with several exercises that give you real-world practice. C All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies covers everything users need to get up to speed on C programming, including advanced topics to take their programming skill to the next level. Inside you'll learn The entire development cycle of a C program: designing and developing the program, writing source code, compiling the code, linking the code to create the executable programs, debugging, and deployment The intricacies of writing the code -- the basic and not-so-basic building blocks that make up the source code Thorough coverage of keywords, program flow, conditional statements, constants and variables, numeric values, arrays, strings, functions, pointers, debugging, prototyping, and more Dozens of sample programs you can adapt and modify for your own use Written in plain English, this friendly guide also addresses some advanced programming topics, such as Programming for the Linux/Unix console Windows and Linux programming Graphics programming Games programming Internet and network programming Hardware programming projects The book includes a handy appendix that shows you how to set up your computer for programming, how to select and use a text editor, and fix up the compiler, to ensure you're ready to work the author's examples. Written by Dan Gookin, the author of the first-ever For Dummies book (and several others) who's known for presenting complex material in an easy-to-understand way, this comprehensive guide makes learning the C programming language simple and fun. Grab your copy of C All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, so you can start coding your own programs.