What is C++? History & Features of C++ Language

ProgramingsPoint
10 Oct, 2023

C++ language is one of the top 10 programming languages ​​in the world. According to a recent Stackoverflow survey and TIOBE Index, C++ language is the most popular programming language in the world. The popularity of the C++ language is due to some of its unique features.

Let us know in detail what is C++ language? What is its history? What are the features? And why should you learn C++ language?

C++


What is C++?

The C++ language is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language created by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979. C++ is an efficient and powerful programming language that is mainly used in GUI platforms and 3D graphics. 

C++ language is similar to C language. We can easily create all the programs made in  C language in C++ language without any changes or with minor changes.

We can say that C++ language is a superset of C language, which not only has the features of C language but also has some additional features. 

C++ language has much larger function libraries as compared to C language, which makes it much simpler and convenient than C language.

C++ language is also a middle-level programming language like C language in which we can create both low-level and high-level programs very easily. Due to this feature of C++ language, with its help both application software and system software can be easily created.

History of C++ language

Bjarne Stroustrup started working on the C++ language in 1978 and released its first version in 1979. Initially, according to him, this was not a new programming language, he said that it was an extended version of C language. 

When Bjarne Stroustrup added the concept of Classes to the C++ language, it was called “ C With Classes” at that time.

Bjarne Stroustrup added some new concepts along with Classes, due to which the language created by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1983 was named C++. 

The increment operator “++” in C++ indicates that C++ language is an extended version of C language. 

The C++ language was standardized by the ISO committee in 1998 and a minor update was released in 2003, due to which it was called C++03. 

In 2011, 2014, and 2017, new standards of C++ language were released, due to which C++ language was called C++11, C++14, and C++17. 

Every new standard of C++ language comes with a new feature that helps the programmer a lot in programming. 

Years

Language

1979

C With Classes  

1983

C++

2003

C++3

2011

C++11

2014

C++14

2017

C++17

2020

C++20


Features of C++ Language

C++ language has the following features :
  1. Statically typed 
  2. Compiler Based
  3. General Purpose Language
  4. Case Sensitive
  5. Object-oriented Programming

1) Statically typed 

C++ language is a statically typed programming language in which the data type of the variable is not checked at run time but at compile time. 

2) Compiler Based

C++ language is a compiler-based programming language in which programs cannot be executed or run without compiling them.

The program made in C++ language is first converted into machine language with the help of compiler and then we can execute that program.

3) General Purpose Language

C++ language is a general-purpose programming language in which we can create almost all types of software from application software to system software. 

4) Case Sensitive

C++ is a case-sensitive programming language in which words written in lower case letters and upper case letters have different meanings. 

5) Object-oriented Programming

C++ is an object-oriented programming language in which programs are created by considering things as objects.

Why learn C++ language?

If you want to become a good software engineer then you must learn C++ language. 

There are many other benefits of C++ language which I have mentioned below. 
  • C++ language is very close to the hardware, with its help we can do low-level programming. We can do memory management very easily through programs made with the help of C++ language.
  • With the help of C++ language, you can learn object-oriented concepts very easily. The object-oriented concept makes your further programming journey easier. 
  • If you learn C++ language then it can prove to be very helpful in your campus requirement process. If you become a good C++ software developer then companies pay you more. 
  • With C++ you become capable of creating both system software and application software. 
There are thousands of benefits of learning C++ language, but if you want to become a good software engineer and make your career in the IT field, then you must learn it. 

Hello World using C++ Language

I am showing you a traditional program of Hello World with the help of C++ language so that you can get some idea of ​​how code is written in C++ language.
  • #include <iostream>
  • using namespace std;
  • // main() is a function from where the execution of the program starts.
  • int main() 
  • {
  •    cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World
  •    cout << "Welcome to ProgramingsPoint"; // prints Welcome to ProgramingsPoint
  •    return 0;
  • }


Output 

Hello World
Welcome to ProgramingsPoint

Right now, do not think too much about what the code written in it means, when you start learning C++ language, everything will gradually become clear to you. 

How to learn C++ language

To learn C++ language, you can watch websites or YouTube videos. 

For now, below I am telling you some websites from where you can start learning C++ language. 
Turbo C++: You can download it from here
Eclipse: You can download it from here

Dev C++: You can download it from here
CLion: You can download it from here
VS Code: You can download it from here
Visual Studio: You can download it from here

You can download and use any one of these to create C++ programs. 

If you do not have a laptop or PC and only have a mobile, then you can run the C++ code from the websites mentioned below.

Conclusion 

I hope that you have liked this post of ours. If you liked this post then do not forget to share this post with your friends so that they can also get information about what is C++ Language.

If you still have questions about What is C++? If you have any questions or doubts related to and How to learn C++ Language, then please tell me in the comment below, I will answer all your questions and for more information. You can contact us.
Next Post Previous Post
No Comment
Add Comment
comment url