Hello World

Why Programmers Start with “Hello, World!”

The tradition of writing a simple “Hello, World!” program is one of the oldest and most cherished rituals in the world of programming. But have you ever wondered why almost every programming tutorial begins with this seemingly trivial output? Let’s explore the reasons behind it and its origins.

A Simple Start

For many beginners, “Hello, World!” serves as a simple introduction to the language’s syntax. It allows learners to:

• Test their development environment setup
• Understand the basics of input/output
• Confirm that their compiler or interpreter works as expected

It’s an easy, reassuring way to ensure that everything is functioning correctly before diving into more complex concepts.

The Origins of “Hello, World!”

The first documented appearance of “Hello, World!” was in the book The C Programming Language by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, published in 1978. The book used this example to demonstrate how to write the simplest C program.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    printf("Hello, World!\n");
    return 0;
}