C Programmming Resources
(for CSC173, and beyond)

George Ferguson

Last update: Fall 2023

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

C for Java Programmers

Already know how to program in Java? Want to learn how to program in C? The following were written just for you:

• C for Java Programmers: Guide

• C for Java Programmers: Tutorial

C Development Environments

Need a C development environment? Here are notes on and links to a number of different setups that I have tried.

I STRONGLY recommend that Computer Science students learn how to use the command-line, starting in CSC173 if not earlier.

But if you want to use a graphical IDE for C Programming: for C beginners in CSC173, I currently (Summer 2023) recommend CLion.

Quick links: IDE | Command-line/Terminal

Integrated Development Environments

• CLion

  • From JetBrains, makers of the excellent IntelliJ IDEA IDE for Java
  • Includes everything you need on all platforms (including a C compiler, even on Windows)
  • Free for student use (but read the license terms yourself)
  • Version 2023.1 is current as of Summer 2023
  • Not hard to set required compiler options for CSC173 (but not obvious either; see my detailed notes)
  • Recommended for CSC173 (January 2022)
  • Sample project for CSC173

• Eclipse

  • You know it, you love it.
  • Free, but...
    • Not that easy to setup for C development
    • Not that easy to use for C development
    • Possible to have both Java and C components in one instance of Eclipse, but not obvious how to do that reliably (see my detailed notes)
    • Documentation is as good as you would expect from Eclipse
  • Version 2023-06 is current as of Summer 2023
  • Not recommended (January 2022) for CSC173 unless you know what you are doing and/or get some help setting it up properly for CSC173 including the required compiler options.
  • Detailed notes
  • Sample project for CSC173 (macOS)
    • Note: Check that the compiler options are properly set for CSC173. For other platforms you will need to set them since Eclipse stores them differently in the project on different platforms

• Visual Studio Code

  • From Microsoft, for Windows, Mac, Linux
  • Free, but read the license terms yourself before using
  • Version 1.8.0 is current as of Summer 2023
  • Not obvious how to set required compiler options for CSC173 (see my detailed notes)
  • Maybe ok for CSC173 (Fall 2023): See Nora’s Guide to Using VSCode
  • Sample project for CSC173

• Visual Studio

  • Pro development tool for Windows from Microsoft
  • Community edition free for student use, but read the license terms yourself before using
  • Mac version available (2022 is current as of Summer 2023)
  • No experience with this myself, sorry

• Xcode

  • Mac only from Apple
  • Free (but huge download and disk usage)
  • Version 14.3.1 is current as of Summer 2023
  • Not hard to set required compiler options for CSC173 (see my detailed notes), but super-important to set them or your programs will almost certainly not meet the requirements for CSC173
  • Recommended (practically required) for Mac development in general, but perhaps not the best tool for the beginning C programmer
  • Sample project for CSC173

• CodeBlocks

  • Open source
  • Free
  • Windows, Linux, Mac
    • For Mac, only old version available as binary
      • Doesn't seem to work very well (Summer 2021)
    • Windows version can include mingw in the download
  • Seems possible to set required compiler options for CSC173 (see my detailed notes)
  • Not recommended (January 2022) unless you are an open-source hacker and know what you're doing
  • Sample project for CSC173

Command-line (a.k.a. Terminal, shell, command prompt, ...)

It is A Good Idea for Computer Science students to know how to use a command-line. CSC173 is the perfect opportunity to learn that before your more advanced core courses and electives that require it. Carpe diem.

• macOS

  • Terminal.app is built-in. Here is Apple’s “Terminal User Guide.”
  • You need to install a C compiler. It isn’t hard.
  • You need a text editor for writing your code. TextEdit is not really up to the job. I recommend vim (included with macOS), nano (also included with macOS), or the choice of programming gurus since 1985: emacs (GNU emacs, Wikipedia).
  • FWIW: here is Apple’s “Use command-line text editors in Terminal on Mac” document.

• Windows

  • COMMAND.COM is built-in (and there are alternatives, e.g., PowerShell)
  • You need to install a C compiler. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy.
  • You need a text editor for writing your code. NotePad/NotePad++ is not really up to the job. Use vim, nano (look online for Windows versions, or install via Chocolatey), or emacs.

• Linux

  • If you have installed Linux on your own computer, you probably know enough to develop C programs on it.
  • It should have GNU tools and editors installed (easy to add if not)
  • Look for a Computer Interest Floor seminar on Linux if you are interested in learning more and perhaps installing it yourself.
  • Students in CSC173 and other CSC courses at Rochester can get accounts on the csug.rochester.edu instructional Linux machines.
  • Please see the FAQ for more information.
  • Contact labstaff@cs.rochester.edu" with questions about CSUG instructional accounts.
  • Another option for running Linux is to use an OS-level virtualization package like Docker or Podman to run Linux in a “container.” More information here (due for an update Summer 2023).

See also Installing a C Compiler for more notes and instructions.