This chapter describes the fundamental
characteristics of the object-oriented C++ programming language. In addition,
you will be introduced to the steps necessary for creating a fully functional
C++ program. The examples provided will help you retrace these steps and also
demonstrate the basic structure of a C++ program.
Development And Properties of C++
Characteristics
Historical Perspective
The C++ programming language was created by Bjarne
Stroustrup and his team at Bell Laboratories (AT&T, USA) to help implement
simulation projects in an object-oriented and efficient way. The earliest
versions, which were originally referred to as "C with classes," date back to
1980. As the name C++ implies, C++ was derived from the C programming language:
++ is the increment operator in C.
As early as 1989 an ANSI Committee (American National Standards Institute)
was founded to standardize the C++ programming language. The aim was to have as
many compiler vendors and software developers as possible agree on a unified
description of the language in order to avoid the confusion caused by a variety
of dialects.
In 1998 the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) approved a
standard for C++ (ISO/IEC 14882).
Characteristics of C++
C++ is not a purely object-oriented language but a hybrid
that contains the functionality of the C programming language. This means that
you have all the features that are available in C:
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universally usable modular programs
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efficient, close to the machine programming
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portable programs for various platforms.
The large quantities of existing C source code can also be used in
C++ programs.
C++ supports the concepts of object-oriented programming (or OOP
for short), which are:
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data abstraction, that is, the creation of classes to describe objects
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data encapsulation for controlled access to object data
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inheritance by creating derived classes (including multiple derived classes)
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polymorphism (Greek for multiform), that is, the implementation of instructions that can have varying effects during program execution.
Various language elements were added to C++, such as
references, templates, and exception handling. Even though these elements of the
language are not strictly object-oriented programming features, they are
important for efficient program implementation.
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