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Is C open source?

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c

compiler-construction

open-source

This is probably a stupid question, but I've been wondering about this for a while. Does C (or any other low-level language, for that matter) even have source, or is the compiler the part that "does all the work", including parsing? If so, couldn't different compilers have different C dialects? Where does the stdlib factor into this? I would really like to know how this works.

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Hypercube Avatar asked Feb 24 '11 01:02

Hypercube

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2 Answers

The C language is not a piece of software but a defined standard, so one wouldn't say that it's open-source, but rather that it's an open standard.

There are a gazillion different compilers for C however, and many of those are indeed open-source. The most notable example is GCC's C compiler, which is all under the GNU General Public License (GPL), an open-source license.

There are more options. Watcom is open-source, for instance. There is no shortage of open-source C compilers, but without a doubt the most widespread one, at least in the non-Windows world, is GCC.

For Windows, your best bet is probably Watcom or GCC by using Cygwin or MinGW.

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Teekin Avatar answered Sep 19 '22 11:09

Teekin

C is a standard which specifies how C compilers should generate programs.
C itself doesn't have any source code, just like a musical note doesn't have any plastic.

Some C compilers, such as GCC, are open source.

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SLaks Avatar answered Sep 20 '22 11:09

SLaks
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