Brief History of C++

The Evolution of C Programming: A Brief but Powerful History

The Influence of BCPL and B Language

Many new programming languages appeared during the 1960s. The computeres at that time were still in early stage of development. The language ALGOL60 was developed as an alternative to FORTAN. The Language CPL (Combined programming Language) was developed by Martin Richards at Cambridge University in 1963. It was more specific for concrete programming tasks of that time than ALGOL60 or FORTRAN. But it was very difficult to learn and use. Martin Richards then developed BCPL (Basic Combined programming Language) in 1967 that was a simplification of CPL.

Ken Thompson created the B language in 1970 at Bell Labs circa. B language was derived from B language. The B language provided the basis for the development of C. C language was originally designed to wirte syystem program under UNIX operating system. The power and flexibility of C language made it popular in industry for a wide range of applications.

The Birth of C: Dennis Ritchie's Innovation

The earlier version of C was known as K&R C. The K&R (Kernighan and Ritchie) C. C was developed by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in 1972. The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) developed a standard version of the language. The standard version is known as ANSI C. This new version provided many features that were not available in the older version.

Bjarne Stroustrup from Bell labs started the development of C++ language in 1980. The first commerical release of the language appeared in October 1985. It was originally named "C with Classes". It was enhancement to C language. It allows the use of a programming technique known as Object Oriented Programming (OOP).

The Evolution of C++

C++ language was refined during 1980s and it became a unique language. It was very mucj compatibile with the code of C and provided the most important characteristics of C. ANSI committee X3J16 began the development of a specific standard for C++ from 1990. In mid of 1998, ANSI/ISO C++ language standards were approved. This standard is used by most compilers used today to compile programs. The language became very popular and now it is the preferred language to develop professional applications on all platforms.

Features of C++

Some important features of C++ are as follows:

• Convenient Language:

C++ is very convenient language. It provides many facilities in easier way that are difficult to use in low-level languages. Programmers can write complex programs more easily as compared to low-levvel languages.

• Well-Structured Language:

C++ is well-structured language. The programs written in C++ language are easy to maintain and modify. Its syntaz is very easy to understand.

• Machine Independence:

C++ is machine independent language. The programs written in C++ language can be run on any machine without making any changes in the program. For example, a program written in C++ can be executed on Intel processors and AMD processors with a little modification. The programs written in C++ language are portable.

• Mid-level programming language:

C++ is a mid-level programming language. It is a combination of both high-level and low-level programming language. It is a bridge between high-level and low-level programming language. It provides the features of both high-level and low-level programming language.

• Fast Speed:

C++ compilers generate very fast code. The resulting code frome a C++ compilation is very efficient. This code executes very Efficiently. So the programs take less time to execute.

• C Compatibility:

C++ is a superset of C language. It means that any valid C program is also a valid C++ program. C++ is backward compatible with C language. It means that C++ includes all the features of C language. The programs written in C language can be run in C++ compiler without making any changes in the program.

• Modular programming:

C++ provides the facility of Modular programming. It means that a large program can be divided into small modules. Each module can be written separately and can be compiled separately. The modules can be combined to form a single program. It makes the program easy to understand and maintain.

• Standard Libraries:

C++ provides a rich set of standard libraries. These libraries contain a large number of functions that can be used in the program. These libraries provide the facility of input/output, string handling, mathematical functions, etc. These libraries save the time of the programmer.

• Hardware Control:

C++ provides the facility to access the hardware directly. It means that the programmer can access the hardware directly. The programmer can write programs that can control the hardware.

• Brevity:

C++ provides the facility of brevity. It means that the programs written in C++ language are short and concise. The programs written in C++ language are easy to understand.

• Object Oriented:

C++ is an object-oriented programming language. It provides the facility of classes and objects. The programs written in C++ language are based on objects. The object-oriented programming language provides the facility of inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, and abstraction.