C++

learn C++ as easy as possible

The C++ programming language was created by Bjarne Stroustrup and his team at Bell

Laboratories (AT&T, USA) to help implement simulation projects in an object-ori-

ented and efficient way. The earliest versions, which were originally referred to as “C

with classes,” date back to 1980. As the name C++ implies, C++ was derived from the C

programming language: ++ is the increment operator in C.

As early as 1989 an ANSI Committee (American National Standards Institute) was

founded to standardize the C++ programming language. The aim was to have as many

compiler vendors and software developers as possible agree on a unified description of

the language in order to avoid the confusion caused by a variety of dialects.

In 1998 the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) approved a stan-

dard for C++ (ISO/IEC 14882)

C++ is not a purely object-oriented language but a hybrid that contains the functionality

of the C programming language. This means that you have all the features that are avail-

able in C:

universally usable modular programs

■ efficient, close to the machine programming

■ portable programs for various platforms.

The large quantities of existing C source code can also be used in C++ programs.

C++ supports the concepts of object-oriented programming (or OOP for short),

which are:

■ data abstraction, that is, the creation of classes to describe objects

■ data encapsulation for controlled access to object data

■ inheritance by creating derived classes (including multiple derived classes)

■ polymorphism (Greek for multiform), that is, the implementation of instructions

that can have varying effects during program execution.

Various language elements were added to C++, such as references, templates, and excep-

tion handling. Even though these elements of the language are not strictly object-ori-

ented programming features, they are important for efficient program implementation.