The reason I like C is that every action is so specific. Yes, that means it's not suited for "high level" applications, like web apps, and situation in which development time needs to be cut. But that specificity and control over every action is exactly why it's good for network and hardware programming. I haven't seen C used outside of those realms in a long time.
edit: Furthermore, it's low-levelness makes it very versatile. It centers around the universal abstractions used in Unix - the ability to open, read, write, and close files. That, combined with structs, unions, and it's basic data types allow you to use it for virtually ANY protocol.
> That, combined with structs, unions, and it's basic data types allow you to use it for virtually ANY protocol.
Sadly, when you use C to implement low-level binary wire protocols, you quickly discover that structs, bit-fields, and unions are nearly useless because they are incompletely defined. Byte order is undefined. Structure layout is mostly undefined -- you pick field order, but you can't choose packing, alignment, or padding rules. The sizes of the integer types vary by platform and compiler. Bit field layout, packing, and alignment are almost completely undefined.
What you're left to work with are unsigned characters, pointers, and bitwise operations. You have to pack and unpack everything manually, or your code won't port. It's enough to get the job done, but it's like using a wrench to pound in screws.
I could do with a little less specificity of action, myself.
I haven't seen C used outside of those realms in a long time.
For an example of modern high-level C, check out GTK+. It's a sprawling cross-platform GUI library that provides the foundation for the arguably most popular Linux desktop environment (GNOME). Although GNOME apps are frequently written in higher-level languages using bindings, GTK+ itself is plain C.
edit: Furthermore, it's low-levelness makes it very versatile. It centers around the universal abstractions used in Unix - the ability to open, read, write, and close files. That, combined with structs, unions, and it's basic data types allow you to use it for virtually ANY protocol.