Basic Introduction of C++!

Types of Programming Languages:

Programmers write programs for computers using different languages. Some of these languages are understood by the computer directly, while others require a translator to be understood. It’s similar to when you visit a country where you don’t understand the language, and you need a translator who will help you communicate with the people there. Nowadays, a wide variety of computer languages are in use. They are categorized into three types:

• Low level Languages/Machine Languages
• Assembly Languages
• High-Level Languages

Machine Languages:

As the name suggests, Machine Language is the language which is understood by the computer directly, without needing a translator. In this language, code is written using just 0s and 1s. These languages depend on the machine because they are defined according to the hardware of the machine. Machine languages are difficult for the human brain to understand.

Assembly languages:

As time passed, computers evolved, and most programmers realized that programming in Machine Language was difficult to understand. Therefore, they created assembly language in which English letters were used instead of binary numbers (0s and 1s). The code written in Assembly could be easily understood by humans. In order to make this code understandable for computers, a translator was developed, known as an Assembler. Assembler translates the assembly language code into machine language code. So, computer could understand it. But in Assembly Language, even simple tasks required multiple lines of code. This made speed of programming slow.

High-Level Languages:

Later, High-Level Languages were developed. With these, a task could be performed using simple and less statements. Hence, speed of programming is much higher compared to assembly languages. The translator program that converts this type of languages into Machine Language is called a compiler or interpreter. Compiler work is similar to that of assembler. It translates the code into machine language. Interpreter directly executes High-Level Language code. This eliminated the need to first convert the code into Machine Language via a compiler.

C++ Programming:

C++ is also a High-Level Language, which is considered one of the most powerful and widely used languages.

History of C++:

In 1966-1967, Martin Richards wrote a language, BCPL, which was considered ideal for creating operating systems and compilers. In 1969, Ken Thompson created language B which was based on BCPL, as he wanted to create an operating system. By the end of that year, he developed the first version of the UNIX operating system at Bell Labs.

Later, in 1971-1972, Dennis Ritchie, also at Bell Labs, introduced a new language C which was based on B. It was first introduced in the market in 1972. C included several important features from the B and BCPL languages. In 1973, UNIX operating system was rewritten in C, which led to its immense popularity. Now a days, most of the operating systems are written in C language.

You might have heard that humans have conquered the moon, but still, they are not satisfied and desire more success. Similarly, programmers also realized that they could not perform all the tasks they needed with C. Therefore, in 1979, at Bell Labs, Bjarne Stroustrup developed a new language namedC with Classes. It is essentially an advanced form of the C language. In C with Classes, several important features were added compared to C, and the main reason for its popularity is Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Objects are software components that you can reuse repeatedly. Object-oriented programs are easier to understand and edit, and they work accurately. In 1983, C with Classes language was officially named C++.