C ++: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, DATA TYPES, EXAMPLES - TECHNOLOGY - 2024

C ++ is an improved and extended version of the C programming language, which was developed by Stroustrup in 1979 as part of his Ph.D. project. Stroustrup designed what he called "C with classes," which was later called C ++, because he believed that existing programming languages ​​had limitations and were not the best for large-scale projects.

That is why he used C to develop the programming language he was looking for, because C was an effective language and fast to operate.

Source: pixabay.com

C ++ is a general-purpose programming language that is refined and powerful. This compiled, free-form language is best suited for intermediate-level programmers.

However, those who want to start programming with C ++ will find that they can quickly learn programming concepts that will take them a long way in their career.

It is compatible with object-oriented programming, taking all its characteristics. These concepts make the C ++ language different and it is mainly used to develop applications in an easy and conceptualized way.

History

Design and implementation

C ++ was designed and implemented in 1980 by Bjarne Stroustrup at AT&T Bell Labs, beautifully fusing the concepts of procedural and object-oriented programming.

In the C language the operator ++ is used to increment a variable, thus manifesting Stroustrup's idea that C ++ would be the next generation of the C language.

Initial release

C ++ was released in 1985 for the first time on the market. In 1986, Stroustrup published his famous book called The C ++ Programming Language, becoming the reference manual for the language.

C 2.0

The most important release of C ++ was C 2.0 in 1989, documented by Ellis and Stroustrup in The C ++ Annotated Reference Manual. It was a totally object-oriented language.

Standardized version

The first standardized version, C ++ 98, was released in 1998. This international standard for C ++ was developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards Organization (ISO).

In 2003, the following C ++ 03 standard was published with the intention of correcting errors identified in C ++ 98 and ensuring that the language had greater portability and consistency.

Recent updates

The next major update to the language came in 2011, and it was called C ++ 11. Several features were added to improve its runtime performance.

Then C ++ 14 was released, where some improvements were made and C ++ 11 bugs were fixed. The next version released in 2017 was C ++ 17, which has several new features and a much more extensive standard library.

C ++ Features

Popular language

C ++ is widely used by developers, mainly in applications. It contains all the important parts, like a core language that provides all the required development blocks, such as variables, data types, literals, etc.

It is the fourth most popular programming language, according to the TIOBE programming community index.

The uses of C ++ make it the most convenient language, due to its characteristics. It is the first startup language for any developer who is interested in working with programming languages. It is easy to learn as it is a purely concept-based language.

Its syntax is very simple, making it easy to write, and errors can be easily replicated. Before using any other language, programmers have preferred to learn C ++ first and then use others.

However, most developers try to stick with C ++ due to its wide variety of use and compatibility with multiple platforms and software.

Object oriented

The major upgrade from C to C ++ is object-oriented programming. This means that the focus is on the "objects" and the handling around these objects.

It follows the concepts of polymorphism, inheritance, encapsulation and abstraction, facilitating development and maintenance.

Procedural

C ++ supports the concept of procedures and subroutines, which enclose segments of code in reusable blocks, which can be "called" to perform individual tasks.

Procedures and subroutines are known as functions in C ++. A function can take zero or more parameters, and return zero or a value.

Structured programming

The C ++ code is modular, with the support of functions, classes and objects, the modules fitting freely.

The flow control statements in C ++ are similar to those found in many other structured programming languages. These are if-else to implement decision logic, and for, while, and do-while to implement iterations or loops.

Memory management

C ++ supports dynamic memory allocation. Thus, you can free the allocated memory at any time.

Pointers

They are variables that store the address of another variable. The pointer points to the memory location of a variable. C ++ supports pointers to provide solutions to many problems that require access to the memory location.

Compiled language

Before it can be executed, a C ++ program must be translated into the native instructions of the target machine by a program called a compiler. Without compilation, no C ++ program can run. The compiler compiles the C ++ program so that it can later be run.

Data types in C ++

- Primary

Int

It is used to store whole numbers. The memory it occupies depends on the compiler (32 or 64 bits). It occupies 4 bytes of memory when working with a 32-bit compiler.

Float

It is used to store fractions up to 7 decimal digits. It is known as a single precision floating point type. It occupies 4 bytes of memory.

Char

It is used to store a set of all characters. It can include letters of the alphabet, numbers, and also special characters. It occupies 1 byte of memory, being the smallest addressable unit in a machine.

Double

Used to store fractions up to 15-16 decimal digits. It is generally known as a double precision floating point type.

Empty (Null)

Indicates zero or no return value. Generally used to assign the null value when declaring a function.

Bool

This data type refers to a Boolean or logical value. It can take the value of true or false.

- Secondary

Arrangements

It is a set of data that have the same type of data, which is accessed by a common name.

Pointers

They are basically variables that are used to store the memory address of another variable.

Features

It is a group of sentences that perform a specific task. Functions are built-in or user-defined libraries.

- User defined

Structures

It is a type of data in which a collection of different types of data can be made and accessed through an object.

Union

Provides the ability to store different types of data in the same memory location.

What is C ++ for? Applications

Applications

Many applications on Adobe systems are developed in C ++, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, and Image Ready.

Operating systems

C ++ is used in all major operating systems, such as Linux, Windows, and macOS, as it is a low-level programming language.

Compilers

Most of the compilers are written in the C ++ language. Also compilers that are used to compile other languages, such as C #, Java, etc.

Games

It serves to eliminate the complexity of 3D games, helping to optimize resources. In addition, it is compatible with the multiplayer option in networks.

Web browsers

It allows fast execution and representation of graphics, which is critical for current users, who demand content that can appear quickly in web browsers. C ++ was used to make the Internet browsers Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Internet of things

Several Internet of Things products, such as smart watches, cars, washing machines, routers, and switches, use C ++ because they require code that is as close to the hardware as possible.

Cloud / Distributed Systems

It is used in the cloud in storage systems and distributed systems, where scalable file systems need to work closely with the hardware and compatibility with different machines is also critical.

Access to databases

It is used to develop open source database software. A very popular database administration software used in organizations, MySQL, is written in C ++ thanks to the benefits it offers.

There are other applications based on access to database software, which are Wikipedia, Yahoo, YouTube, Quora, etc.

Examples

This program receives a positive integer from the user and stores it in the variable n. Then the for loop is executed, which checks if the entered number is perfectly divisible by io or not.

The for loop starts with an initial value of i equal to 2, increasing the value of i with each iteration. If the number entered by the user is perfectly divisible by i, isPrime is set to false and the number will not be a prime number.

However, if the number is not perfectly divisible by i until the test condition i <= n / 2 is true, it means that it is only divisible by 1 and that same number. So the given number is a prime number.

Libraries

Developers have access to many built-in functions provided by the C ++ language. This saves time and speeds up development. Some of the C ++ header files with their provided functionalities are:

- iomanip: contains flow handlers that format the data flows.

- iostream: contains standard input and output functions.

- cstdlib: contains the function to convert numbers to text and vice versa, - cmath: contains math library functions, memory allocation, random numbers, and various other useful functions.

- fstream: contains functions that perform input and output of files on disk.

- ctime: contains the function to handle the time and date.

- memory: contains classes and functions used by the C ++ Standard Library to allocate memory.

Advantage

Speed

As C ++ is an extended version of C, which is a low-level programming language, it is one of the fastest languages ​​available. This makes it useful in those areas where the required performance is critical.

Close to hardware

C ++ is one of the programming languages ​​that is closest to hardware. This is very advantageous in those spaces where the software must have a close relationship with the hardware in order to efficiently perform low-level support.

Efficiency

C ++ has a standard library of templates that can be widely used when coding. These libraries provide efficient algorithms that allow the programmer to save time and effort, which would otherwise be wasted creating code.

Freedom to choose programming styles

C ++ supports about seven different styles of coding, which makes it a multi-model programming language. Thus, you can select a style that suits a particular use case, without having to use objects.

Ability to break down complex problems

C ++ can solve complex problems intuitively by creating objects. Additionally, C ++ functions allow you to divide your code into code blocks that are clear, easy to understand, and easy to test and modify.

Ability to detect errors before execution

C ++ has a static type, which means that the compiler makes no assumptions about what the programmer writes. The benefit is that the compiler can catch errors and failures before execution, which can save time in the long run.

Disadvantages

Use of pointers

Pointers are a relatively difficult concept to understand and also consume a lot of memory. Pointer misuse can cause the system to hang or behave abnormally.

A major problem is when the data points the same from two different starting points, causing a significant problem, generating confusing problems within the encoding.

Security issues

Although object-oriented programming provides a lot of security to the data that is handled, there are still some security problems due to the availability of friend functions, global variables and pointers.

No garbage collector

C ++ gives the user complete control of managing the computer's memory. It lacks the function of a garbage collector to automatically filter out unnecessary data and therefore does not support dynamic memory allocation.

Absence of a thread

C ++ does not support built-in threads. The concept of thread is relatively new in C ++, as it did not originally exist. Now C ++ is able to support lambda functions.

Compiled programs

As a compiled language, executable files produced by the compiler from source code are not portable and will only run on the target platform (hardware plus operating system) for which they were compiled, or a supported binary platform.

Can be complex

C ++ can be complex, since it allows classes, which are functions with the same name. Therefore, a symbol handling system must be used. Furthermore, it is complex for a very large high-level program. C ++ is commonly used for platform-specific applications.

References

1. Simplilearn (2020). C ++ Programming for Beginners: History, Benefits and Applications. Taken from: simplilearn.com.
2. Educba (2020). Uses of C ++ in Real World. Taken from: educba.com.
3. Dmitrii Rassokhin (2020). The C ++ programming language in cheminformatics and computational chemistry. Journal of Cheminformatics. Taken from: jcheminf.biomedcentral.com.
4. Edureka! (2020). What are the top 10 features of C ++? Taken from: edureka.co.
5. Aman Goel (2020). C ++ Language: Features, Uses, Applications & Advantages. Hack. Taken from: hackr.io.
6. Steemit (2020). C ++: Learn to code. History, advantages, disadvantages of C ++ language. Taken from: steemit.com.
7. Data Flair (2019). Learn Data Types in C and C ++ with Example in Just 4 mins. Taken from: data-flair.training.