Interactive C is a program which uses a modified version of

ANSI C ANSI C, ISO C, and Standard C are successive standards for the C programming language published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 22/WG 14 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and th ...

with several libraries and features that allow hobbyists to program small robotics platforms.

Version by Newton Research Labs

Newton Research Labs developed Interactive C as a compiling environment for robots using the Motorola 6811 processor. The MIT LEGO Robot Design Contest (6.270) was the original purpose for the software.MIT's Autonomous Robot Design Competition
/ref> It became popular, however, due to its ability to compile

on the fly On the fly is a phrase used to describe something that is being changed while the process that the change affects is ongoing. It is used in the automotive, computer, and culinary industries. In cars, on the fly can be used to describe the changing ...

rather than taking time to compile beforehand as other languages had done. The programming environment's newest version is IC Version 8.0.2, which supports these

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also i ...

s: * Microsoft Windows XP,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

Vista Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

Unix Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, an ...

and

Unix-like A Unix-like (sometimes referred to as UN*X or *nix) operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, although not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification. A Unix-li ...

: IRIX, Solaris, SunOS;

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...

The screenshot to the right shows Interactive C running on a Windows

. The program features an ''Interaction Window'' where one-line C commands can be sent to the connected controller as well as an editing window, here titled ''main.c'', where a program file is being edited and can be sent to the attached controller. Here is the basic "Hello World" example for IC programming: void main() Here is another example using motor ports 1 and 3: void main() A basic

infinite loop In computer programming, an infinite loop (or endless loop) is a sequence of instructions that, as written, will continue endlessly, unless an external intervention occurs ("pull the plug"). It may be intentional. Overview This differs from: * ...

that will beep for ever: void main() Interactive C is used by

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

to program MIT Handy Boards in its Fundamentals of Engineering for Honors Program

Version by KISS Institute for Practical Robotics

KISS Institute for Practical Robotics developed a third-party alternative to the Newton Labs version of Interactive C for their

Botball Botball is an educational robotics program that focuses on engaging middle and high school aged students in team-oriented robotics competitions. Thousands of children and young adults participate in the Botball program. It has been active since 1 ...

Educational Robotics Program. The latest version of Interactive C by KISS Institute for Practical Robotics is IC 8.0.2, which supports these operating systems: *Windows 2000, XP, Vista *

Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and la ...

10.3, 10.4, 10.5 *Linux (with gcc 3.3) IC8 supports the following robotics controllers: *Xport Botball Controller (

XBC The XBC, or the Xport Botball Controller, is a robot based on Charmed Labs' Xport hardware. It was built specifically for the Botball competition and uses a Game Boy Advance for its display and for high-level processing; a field-programmable ga ...

) versions 1, 2, and 3 *Xport Botball Controller (

) with iRobot Create *MIT Handy Board with Expansion Board * Lego RCX using the serial IR tower

References

{{Reflist

External links

Botball IC pageKISS Institute for Practical Robotics IC Beta pageNewton Labs IC pageInteractive C Manual
from handyboard.com C (programming language)