# C Portability Lessons from Old Machines

DevFeed: [C Portability Lessons from Old Machines](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/c-portability-lessons-from-old-machines-21483.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://begriffs.com/posts/2018-11-15-c-portability.html>)

Published: 2018-11-15T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Joe Nelson](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/joe-nelson.md>)

Topics: [C](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/c.md>), [Hardware](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/hardware.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/systems.md>), [Compiler](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/compiler.md>)

Tags: [architectures](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/architectures.md>), [article](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/article.md>), [book](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/book.md>), [c](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/c.md>), [compiler](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compiler.md>), [hardware](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hardware.md>), [microcontrollers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/microcontrollers.md>), [pointers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pointers.md>), [portable](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/portable.md>), [porting](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/porting.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/systems.md>), [technical](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/technical.md>)

## AI overview

The article examines C portability by tracing how carefully written ANSI C using standard library functions can compile and work across systems ranging from 4-bit microcontrollers to room-sized mainframes. It uses unusual architectures, word sizes, integer representations, and pointer models to show how portable code separates the language from the environment and remains applicable to modern CPUs.

## Source excerpt

2018-11-15 In this article we'll go on a journey from 4-bit microcontrollers to room-sized mainframes and learn how porting C to each of them helped people separate the essence of the language from the environment of its birth. I've found technical manuals and videos for this article to help bring each computer to life.