Learning About C With Your Pocket Computer; Meet The Casio C Interpreter - Casio FX-890P Owner's Manual

6. Pointer control
Unlike the memory addresses used in FORTRAN, COBOL and BASIC, C employs a
pointer to indicate memory locations.
7. Efficient use of memory
Memory and data management functions, as well as programs are very compact, for
more efficient memory utilization.
Thanks to this, C gives you the high level programming capabilities of FORTRAN and
Pascal, with all of the detailed processing of machine language.

6.1.2 Learning about C with your pocket computer

There once was a time that C could be seen running on large computers. A time
when it was only within the realm of programmers and system engineers. Since C
notation resembles that of machine language, it often appeared too difficult or
confusing for the casual user.
All of that changed with the introduction of the Casio PB-2000C pocket computer and
its successors. It is now possible for everyone to enjoy the many benefits of
programming in C. The full portability of the pocket computer format means that the
computer can go with you everywhere, so you can program and compute whenever
and wherever you want.
Since C interacts with many of the computer's functions, it would be difficult to obtain
a solid grasp of its workings by simply reading this manual. We highly recommend
that you get as much hands on experience as possible with your pocket computer,
creating and running your own programs. This is the best way to learn about the
power and versatility of C.
The Casio pocket computer makes actually a very good teacher. Should you make a
mistake when inputting a program, error messages will appear on the display to
guide you back to the correct path. With each error you will be moving one more step
closer to the mastery of C. A trace function is also provided to give you valuable
insights of programs as they are executed.

6.1.3 Meet the Casio C interpreter

With most computers, C acts as a compiler language. A compiler translates the
program written in C into a machine language, which can directly be understood by
the computer. The program that the computer actually executes in the machine
language program.
Since the compiler must perform the three steps of compiling, linking and
execution for each program, they cannot be executed immediately after you enter
them. The two steps of compiling and linking require some time to perform.
The Casio pocket computers, on the other hand, feature a C interpreter. The
interpreter translates programs as you enter them, making it much easier to operate
than a compiler. Once you enter a program, all you have to do is enter the RUN
command to execute the program. Everyone who has ever worked with the BASIC
programming language will find this is a very familiar process.
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