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Ancestors of C

  • The early 1960s: CPL (Combined Programming Language)
    • by Cambridge University & University of London
  • 1966: BCPL (Basic CPL):
    • simplified CPL intended for systems programming
  • 1969: B: simplified BCPL (stripped down so its compiler would run on minicomputer)
    • used to implement the earliest Unix
  • Early 1970s: C: expanded from B motivation: they wanted to play "Space Travel" on a minicomputer used to implement all subsequent Unix.