3.7: Summary

Here are some things to keep in the back of your mind when learning C:

• C is terse. You can do a lot with a little code.
• As it allows you to do almost anything, a novice can get into trouble very quickly.
• It is a relatively thin language, meaning that most “system functions” are not part of the language per se, but come from link-time libraries.
• Function calls, function calls, and more function calls!
• Source code is free flow, not line oriented. A “line” of code is usually terminated with a semicolon.
• Shortcuts allow experts to create code that is almost indecipherable by normal programmers.
• All variables must be declared before use (not free flow as in Python).
• Variables can be global or local in scope. That is, a local variable can be “known” in one place of the program and not in another.

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