What is the Difference between C and Embedded C?

In this article, we are going to discuss what is the difference between C and Embedded C. There are significant differences between C and Embedded C.

C Language Introduction and History

The C programming language is a procedural-oriented and general-purpose programming language. It is a machine-independent and structured programming language. Dennis Ritchie developed it in the AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1972. It was developed in parallel with the UNIX operating system and is inextricably related to it.
In the early 1970s, the C programming language was developed as a system implementation language for the revolutionary Unix operating system. It inherited a type structure from the typeless language BCPL, and it began as a tool to better a limited programming environment on a small machine, eventually growing to become one of the most widely used languages.

To learn more about the History of the C language refer to History of C Language

Embedded C Introduction and History

Embedded C is a C extension for creating microcontroller-based applications. Hardware for I/O The Embedded C language differs from normal C in terms of addressing, fixed-point arithmetic operations, accessing address spaces, and other aspects.
In 2008, the C standards committee enhanced the language to allow it to be used in embedded devices such as Real-time Embedded Systems, Network Embedded Systems, Mobile Embedded Systems, and so on.

Embedded C Program Has Five Layers of Basic Structures

Basic Structures are divided into five layers in an embedded C program. They are:

Comment

Comments are program text used to explain the program logic. They are ignored by the compiler. Comments help to make our code more readable and maintainable. Comments are written in code to make it more user-friendly. // or /* */ are commonly used for comments.

Pre-Processor Directives

The preprocessor examines the code for the token #, and if # is found, the preprocessor acts according to the preprocessor directive and modifies the source code. The modified source will no longer contain any preprocessor directives (starting with #), and this code will be passed to the compiler for compilation.
The functionalities of preprocessor directives are listed below.

• To include files
• To perform conditional compilation
• Macros Expansion
• Error Reporting

Global Declaration

It's termed global declaration when we declare a variable outside of a function or a file, and we can access these variables from the global scope.

Local Declaration

It's termed local declaration when we declare a variable inside the function and we can't access these variables from the global scope.

Main Function

Every C program has a main function that controls the entire program. There are two components to it: the declaration and the execution. Where the declaration part declares all variables, and the execution part defines the overall structure of the program's execution.

C Language Features

• It also supports several types of additional programming languages, either indirectly or directly, while the application is executing.
• The C programming language is a statically typed programming language, but It has a dynamic memory allocation function, which means that the input can be given while the program is running.
• The basic syntax for implementing the C language is fairly simple to learn.
• The C program is easily extensible.
• The C programming language is a portable one.
• The C programming language is a mid-level programming language, meaning it can be used for both high-level and low-level programming.
• C is a general-purpose structured language. This feature of the C programming language allows you to separate a code into different portions using functions that can be saved as libraries for future usage and reuse.

Features of Embedded C

• It uses a source code format that varies depending on the type of microcontroller or microprocessor utilized.
• It implies an embedded C compiler that is compatible with all embedded system resources.
• Embedded C is a C extension that includes certain additional header files. The header files for each controller may be different.
• Using PROTEUS simulation software, able to simulate circuits. This application is critical for controlling and monitoring external devices.
• Embedded C is a portable programming language.

Usability and Application

The distinction between C and Embedded C may also be seen in the usability and applications.
C applications:

• Network drivers
• Interpreters
• Compilers
• Operating systems
• Text editors.

Embedded C:

• Highway speed checker
• Street light control
• Traffic signal control
• Robotics
• Vehicle tracking systems
• Smart monitoring systems

Advantages of C

• C is a robust language with a large number of data types and operators, allowing you to conduct a wide range of operations.
• C is a middle-level programming language, which implies it can be used for both high-level and low-level programming.
• C supports dynamic memory allocation, which means you can allocate memory in the run time.
• The programming language C is structure-based. It denotes the breakdown of problems or issues into smaller components or functions.
• In ANSI(American National Standards Institute) C, there are just 32 keywords and many built-in functions.
• C is a very extendable language. Many languages, including Java and Objective-C, have been added to the C language.
• The C programming language is open-source, which implies that the source code is freely available for anybody to modify to their needs.

Disadvantages of C

• Despite the fact that C is a commonly used programming language, it does not support Object-Oriented Programming features (Inheritance, Polymorphism, Encapsulation, Abstraction). C simply follows the procedural programming paradigm.
• In C, the concept of namespaces is not supported. A namespace is a declarative section that gives a scope to the identifiers inside the namespace section.
• One of the most important features of programming languages is exception handling. Various errors can occur throughout the compilation process. Exception Handling helps you to detect errors and respond appropriately. C, on the other hand, lacks this crucial feature.
• C is a small and core machine language with minimal data hiding and exclusive visibility, which has an impact on its security.

Advantages of Embedded C

• It always performs the same job, thus no additional hardware, such as increased memory or storage space, is required.
• It only executes one task at a time, implying that it is dedicated to that job.
• Embedded C systems typically have very cheap hardware costs.
• Embedded applications are appropriate for Industrial applications.

Disadvantages of Embedded C

• It can only execute one job at a time, so multitasking is not possible.
• If the program is changed, the hardware must also be changed.
• Only the hardware system is supported by Embedded C.
• It has limitations, such as memory limitations or computer compatibility issues.
• It also has a scalability problem, which means it can't simply be scaled up when the scope or demand changes.

Similarities between C and Embedded C

Apart from knowing the difference between C and Embedded C, it's also important to understand the similarities between the two. The development of applications, including hardware and software, can be done using only the basics of C and possibly integrating it with Embedded C.