1 Introduction to C Programming on Turbo C
Although ancient, C is the Mother of programming languages. It is not common for software developers to have a background in C now-a-days, however, the languages that dominate the landscape today have their roots in the C Language (Java, C#, Objective-C, C++, Perl, the list goes on). By starting your programming knowledge with the C Language you instantly place yourself in the best position possible to more effectively translate your skills into other languages.
First, C was a language for professional programming and systems development rather than a school language. Turbo C competed with other professional programming tools (Microsoft C, Lattice C, Watcom C, etc.). Turbo C did, however, have advantages in speed of compiled code, large project support and price. It is developed in C.
1987: Turbo C 1.0
1987: Turbo C 1.1
1988: Turbo C 1.5
1989: Turbo C 2.0 (now with integrated debugger, also for the Atari ST)
1990: Turbo C++ 1.0
1991: Turbo C++ 1.01
1991: Turbo C++ 2.0
1992: Turbo C++ 3.0
Note on later releases: The name "Turbo C" was not used after version 2.0, because with the release of Turbo C++ 1.0 with 1990, the two products were folded into a single product. That first C++ compiler was developed under contract by a company in San Diego and was one of the first true compilers for C++ (until then, most C++ work was done with pre-compilers that generated C code). The next version was named Borland C++ to emphasize its flagship status and completely rewritten in-house, with Peter Kukol as the lead engineer. The Turbo C++ name was briefly dropped, eventually reappearing as Turbo C++ 3.0. There was never a 2.0 of the Turbo C++ product series.