Appendix B. The basics of C

Throughout this book we’ve assumed you understand the basic syntax of Objective-C. Even if the iPhone is your first exposure to Objective-C, you may have preexisting knowledge of another language that shares a similar lineage with the C language. As an example, the basic control structures in C, C++, Java, and C# are all essentially the same.

A lot of beginner Objective-C developers don’t fully appreciate the C linage of Objective-C, but Objective-C is essentially a layer over top of C. Every valid C program is also, by definition, a valid Objective-C program, albeit one that doesn’t take advantage of Objective-C’s object-oriented features.