Exercise 0: The Setup

The traditional first exercise, exercises 0, is where you setup your computer for the rest of this book. In this exercise you'll install packages and software depending on the type of computer you have.

If you have problems following this exercise then simply watch the exercise 0 video for your computer and follow along with my setup instructions. That video should demonstrate how to do each step and help you solve any problems that might come up.

Linux

Linux is most likely the easiest system to configure for C development. For Debian systems you run this command from the command line:

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential

Here's how you would install the same setup on an RPM based Linux like Fedora, RedHat, or CentOS 7:

$ sudo yum groupinstall development-tools

If you have a different variant of Linux simply search for "c development tools" and your brand of Linux to find out what's required. Once you have that installed you should be able to type:

$ cc --version

To see what compiler was installed. You will most likely have the GNU C Compiler (GCC) installed but don't worry if it's a different one than what I use in the book. You could also try installing the Clang C compiler using the Clang's Getting Started Instructions for your version of Linux, or searching online if those don't work.