What Is C++?

C++ is a programming language that was originally developed in the 1980s and is still widely used by developers. The language was designed as an extension of and shares many similar features, like object-oriented programming and control structures, but includes added features that make it more suitable for large-scale software, including operating systems, large-scale video games, operating systems and machine learning.

What is C++ Used for?

C++ is a general-purpose programming language, meaning its uses can vary greatly. Though one of the oldest programming languages in use today, C++ is not considered a legacy language and is often used in the development of high-performance software, as well as for the development of popular web browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Microsoft Edge. C++ also powers the Google search engine, medical technology such as MRI machines, intensive film graphics, safety-critical flight software and financial software infrastructure, either as the primary language or in conjunction with other powerful programming languages.

Operating Systems

C++ has low-level functionalities, enabling programmers to work closer to the hardware level. This is beneficial for managing direct memory,  accessing CPU memory and interacting with device drivers. These features have made C++ widely used across Windows, macOS and Linux. 

Machine Leaning

C++ is used in many machine learning frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch due to the language’s ability to efficiently handle resource-heavy operations. The language can also integrate with other programming languages, which makes it a suitable choice for programmers looking to integrate machine learning and AI capabilities in larger software products. 

Web Browsers

Most modern web browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, use C++ for its rendering abilities. C++ provides access to low-level hardware controls, which not only helps with responsiveness, but also enables developers to build optimized browser rendering engines.

Software Development

Although it is an older programming language, C++ is still preferred by many developers for its versatility and performance. C++ is compiled directly to machine code, eliminating the need for interpreters or virtual machines. Additionally, it allows fine-grained control over resource utilization. The C++ community is also extensive, and over the years created various libraries and frameworks specific to software development. Several Adobe products and the Unreal engine are built with C++.   

Game Development

Similar to software development, C++’s performance capabilities make it ideal for video game development. The language is also used in popular game engines and is suitable for cross-platform development, meaning that developers don’t have to rewrite their entire codebase for consoles, PC or mobile devices. 

Databases

Several database management systems (DBMS) like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MicrosoftSQL and MongoDB are written in C++. The language is a popular choice for databases due to its memory management capabilities and performance, which helps with accurately storing and retrieving data with low latency.

C++ Features Explained

As a subset of C, C++ shares many features, but the biggest difference between them lies is C++’s object-oriented programming (OOP). OOP is an approach to writing and structuring code; its inclusion in C++ enables the creation of self-contained units called objects that combine variables and methods. By including objects, C++ lets programmers reuse code across multiple classes without rewriting, which helps with maintaining and scaling programs. 

Besides being object oriented, C++ is machine independent, a feature that is often mistakenly attributed to C for its portability. Machine independence in C++ means that once code is compiled for a specific platform, it can run efficiently on any machine with the same architecture and operating system. 

C++ is also known for its efficiency. Unlike many modern languages, C++ is a compiled language that is translated directly into machine code, eliminating the need for interpreters or virtual machines. C++ also gives developers low-level control over system resources  through features like pointers and manual memory management. These characteristics make C++ ideal for performance critical applications like operating systems. 

Is C better than C++?

C and C++ are closely related and share many of the same principles. Programmers who become skilled in C++ could easily write in standard C if needed, such as when maintaining the legacy codebase of a large organization. The primary difference between the two is that while both languages offer procedural programming, C++ can handle both procedural and object-oriented programming. Some widely used libraries available for C++ exclusively include the C++ Standard Library, the Boost collection of libraries, Poco and OpenSSL, which can be used with several other languages as well.

Should I Learn C++ or Python?

Generally speaking, Python is a better language to learn for machine learning and data analysis while C++ is best for game development.

Both Python and C++ are general-purpose programming languages, but Python is a high-level language, making it more manageable to read and understand at first glance. C++ requires learning more syntax rules and programming conventions in order to properly use it while Python syntax is nearer to natural English than C++. Python is also easier for beginners to pick up due to its lack of low-level tasks such as memory allocation or stack sizes, allowing for more experimentation without pre-planning and making it ideal for machine learning uses.

Python can serve as a back-end development language, especially in conjunction with the Django framework, largely due to its ease of use and scalability. JavaScript is still more commonplace for back-end programming, however, due to the many frameworks that currently exist for the language.

A Brief History of C++

Bjarne Stroustrup, a Danish computer scientist working for Bell Telephone Laboratories (now known as Nokia Bell Labs), began working on C++ in 1979. Stroustrup was looking to create a language similar to C but with added features of active type checking and inheritance. He released the first version in 1982, and originally called it “C with Classes.” In 1983, Stroustrup renamed the language to C++. The first commercial release of C++ occurred in 1985, but it did not become formally standardized until 1998 — this version is commonly known as C++98.

Over the decades, major additions shaped C++ into the language it is today. Some of the most important additions include the incorporation of containers (vector, map and throw) and exception handling in C++98, which provides reusable data structures and better error management, respectively. Later on in C++11, lambda expressions and auto type detection were introduced to the ecosystem, making the language more approachable by enabling inline functions. 

The upcoming C++26 is still in development and is expected to release sometime in 2026. The future releases are expected to include improvement for the core language and standard library, including simpler ways to deconstruct data structures and easier methods for metaprograming.

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