It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything in C, probably not since college, honestly. Back then, we had one required C programming class. It was one of those standard sophomore/junior level college courses where you learn the basics of the language, a few concepts like pointers and structs, and then build a couple of small projects before moving on. After that, I didn’t really touch it again.
There are few reasons why I have never gotten back around to programming in C, the main reason is that the mass majority of my college classes required projects to use Java, Python, or JavaScript - depending on the class. Now, it has been several years since I’ve graduated college and my day job is web development, so there isn’t much of a chance to write C on the job. Also, I haven’t come across a side project where I’ve thought to myself that C would be a perfect fit.
Most of my side projects have been built in Python (as you can probably tell since it is typically the main focus of my writing), C#, Go, and Rust. I won’t include JavaScript in that list because I use it for my job, and because of that I try not to write it after hours if I don’t have to. I can only take so much JavaScript in my life.
Well… I have finally come across a project that I am ready to pull the trigger and start using C again. Lately, I’ve been spending more time with my Raspberry Pi, and instead of using Python I figured I would finally push myself and dive back into C and re-acclimate myself with the language.
The project itself will probably be the subject of some future updates at some point, but the tldr is I am working on a program that will calculate 0-60 MPH time, track movement via a GPS module to calculate 1/4 mile times or track lap times, and display some data back to a LCD screen. I am also toying with an idea for gathering car data via the vehicle’s OBD port, but I don’t have a way to interface with that yet.
So far, it’s been both refreshing and a little humbling. There’s definitely some rust to shake off. But I am having fun figuring out how everything intertwines with each other again.
In closing, I am surprised that it has taken me this long to get back around to programming in C. Especially since I have always had a fascination with embedded programming, but I’ve never actually sat down and toyed with any of the ideas. Either way, it feels good to be learning C again now with years more of programming experience. If you’ve made it this far I appreciate the time you’ve taken to read a short post on what I am up to in my life!
If you have any resource tips outside of the C book by K&R, feel free to drop a comment to discuss.