Software Engineering Radio - the podcast for professional software developers

SE Radio 650: Robert Seacord on What's New in the C Programming Language

Jan 17, 2025

Robert Seacord, Standardization Lead at Woven by Toyota and an expert on C programming, dives into the latest advancements in the C language. He outlines the significance of the upcoming C23 standard, sharing eight key features that enhance safety and portability. The conversation also touches on C's pivotal role in automotive systems and compares its safety measures to Rust. Seacord emphasizes the importance of robust coding standards and tools, while highlighting why understanding C remains crucial for developers in 2025.

50:02

Creator website

Episode guests

Robert Seacord

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The upcoming C23 standard introduces modern features like type inference and improved type safety, enhancing usability and security in programming.

C remains vital in safety-critical systems like automotive applications due to its performance, precision, and ability to closely control hardware.

Deep dives

History and Importance of the C Standard

The C programming language was created in the early 1970s at Bell Labs as a system implementation language for Unix. The standardization of C began in the late 1970s when ANSI initiated efforts to formalize the language due to the divergence in different implementations. The first standard, known as C89, laid the foundation for a consistent programming language that allowed developers to write portable code across various compiler implementations. This standard acts as both a manual for implementers and a contract between compiler developers and users, ensuring a uniform coding experience.

Intro

2min

The Evolution and Impact of C Standards

16min

Understanding Attributes in C Programming

2min

Enhancements in C23: Keywords and Features

17min

C23 and Automotive Software Innovation

7min

Enforcing Coding Standards and Safety

4min

The Enduring Power of the C Programming Language

3min

Robert Seacord, the Standardization Lead at Woven by Toyota, the convenor of the C standards committee, and author of The CERT® C Coding Standard, Effective C, and Secure Coding in C and C++, speaks with SE Radio host Gavin Henry about What's New in the C Programming Language.

They start with a review of the history of C and why it has a standard, and then they discuss what C23 brings and how programmers can take advantage of it. They consider the sectors in which C is most used and whether you should use C to start a brand new project in 2025. Seacord discusses 8 new things that C23 brings, use case examples, must haves, floating point numbers, how automotive systems use C, why C is used there, Rust vs C, compile time checks vs static analysis, all the various safety standards they can use, why you should use the right tool for the job and never trust user input no matter the language.

Brought to you by IEEE Computer Society and IEEE Software magazine.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more