What are the differences between C and Embedded C? from Arun's blog

C and Embedded C differ primarily in that C is used to produce general-purpose applications whereas Embedded C is utilized to develop embedded systems. The high-level, general-purpose programming language C can be used to develop operating systems, hardware drivers, databases, and other applications. However, embedded C is a development of C.

The high-level programming language C was discovered by Dennis Ritchie while developing the UNIX operating system. The bulk of programming languages, such as Python, Java, JavaScript, etc., are built upon it. The C language's iteration constructs (for, do while, and while loops), functions, and selection constructs (if, else), among others, facilitate organized programming. Applications developed with the C programming language commonly include operating systems, databases, compilers, interpreters, and network drives.

C is a compiler-based programming language as well. As a result, it works more swiftly. The C compiler instantly transforms the full source code into the matching machine code. The CPU can execute the task stated in the source code because it can understand this machine code. Furthermore, when writing C applications, the programmer is in charge of memory allocation. There are functions like This and malloc that allow for dynamic memory allocation. Using these functions and pointers, he may implement dynamic memory allocation.

Embedded systemsare defined as devices that can perform one or more tasks. This kind of system also includes both mechanical and electrical components. All embedded systems have a microcontroller that controls and manages their functionality. A C language extension that facilitates the development of embedded systems is called embedded C. Or to put it another way, it is advantageous to program devices with microcontrollers.

The C standards committee enhanced the C language in 2008 to enable its usage in the development of embedded systems. In Embedded C, several new functionalities have been included. Among these are fundamental I/O hardware addressing, named address spaces, and fixed-point mathematics. Most of the programming features found in embedded C are also found in standard C. These consist of items like the main function, data type declarations, loops, functions, arrays, structures, strings, units, bit operations, macros, and so on.

C programming is organized and suited for all applications. To address compatibility issues between C extensions for diverse embedded devices, Embedded C, on the other hand, is a set of language extensions for the C programming language. This is the main difference between C and Embedded C.

The C programming language's standard compiler also helps with compiling and running the program. Embedded C needs specialized compilers to create outputs for microcontrollers. So this is again another difference between C and Embedded C.

Functionality is another important feature between C and Embedded C. The operating system affects the executable files that the C compiler generates. Hardware-specific files are created by embedded C compilers as their output. They can be uploaded by the microcontroller to perform the action.

The GNU Compiler Collection and Borland Turbo C are two examples of C compilers that can compile and run C applications. With the help of programs like the Keil compiler and BiPOM Electronics' Embedded training and development, embedded C applications can be produced and operated.

The dependency on hardware is another difference between C and embedded C. For C, hardware is of no significance. Therefore, hardware knowledge is not necessary for a programmer to build C applications. However, hardware is required for Embedded C. As a result, the programmer needs to have a thorough understanding of hardware in order to write Embedded C programs.

The applications between C and Embedded C also vary. Network drivers, interpreters, compilers, operating systems, and text editors are a few examples of C applications. But the construction of embedded systems like robotics, intelligent monitoring systems, and vehicle tracking systems, among others, is made easier with the help of Embedded C.

• This article may only discuss the differences between C and Embedded C, however, there are also a lot of commonalities.

• For instance, creating software and hardware applications may merely call for employing the foundations of C, maybe in combination with Embedded C.

• Because embedded systems have limited resources, creating them involves a special set of challenges.

• Programming embedded systems also include interacting with actual hardware under software control.

• C has become the most widely used language for programming embedded systems, despite the fact that there are many others that have existed in the past and are still being developed.

• Some of the C features that help programmers of embedded systems write better programs were covered in this article.

C and Embedded C differ primarily in that C is used to produce general-purpose applications whereas Embedded C is utilized to develop embedded systems. In essence, embedded C is a C extension that makes it possible to program systems utilizing microcontrollers.