C++

C++ Overview

C++ is a general purpose, staticly typed, object oriented programming language that began in 1979 by Danish Computer Scientist Bjarne Stroustrup. For several years the language evolved until it’s official release in 1985.

C++ is essentially an extension of the C programming language. It actually began as a fork of an early pre-standardized C. And while C is not a strict subset of C++ the two languages are largly compatiable and In many instances C code can be used with little or no modification as C++ code.

Becuase C++ is an extension of C, many of the things you can do in C you can also do in C++. But in addition C++ gives you all the power and flexibility of object orientation. So you can use low level system calls, manage memory and deal with pointers. while at the same time working with classes, objects, inheritance and all the features of an object oriented language.

So C++ really lives in two worlds.

How C++ Runs

All c++ programs must utilize a compiler who’s job is to compile the c++ code down into machine code readable by the computer. So anytime you want to run a c++ program you have to compile it first.

C++ relies on the user to manage the program’s memory, although there are garbage collectors avaiable for C++.

Choosing an IDE

Many developers choose to write C++ using a basic text editor, but there are also more specilized integrated development enviornments, some of the most popular include Code Blocks, Eclipse and Net Beans.