7 Things that You Didn’t Know About C++ Programming

Originally created in the early 1980s, C++ is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that supports generic programming and low-level memory manipulation. The language was designed with an emphasis on system programming and embedded large system. Today we’re going to reveal some fun facts about C++, some of which may surprise you.

C++ Influenced Many Other Programming Languages

According to Wikipedia, C++ has influenced many other programming languages, some of which include C#, Java and even newer versions of C. If C++ was never created, who knows what these programming languages would look like today.

C++ was Originally Called ‘The New C’

Computer programmer Rick Mascitti is credited with giving C++ its name, with the ++ indicating an improvement from C programming. But before it was given this name, C++ was actually referred to as “the new C.” This is because C++ draws inspiration from C, building upon its framework while adding new features and functions to the language.

C++ Introduces Object-Oriented Programming

Although it was lacking in C, object-oriented programming was introduced in C++. Among other things, C++ supports the four primary features of OOP: abstraction, inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation. With that said, C++ is unique in the sense that it supports deterministic destructors for classes — a feature that’s not found in other OOP languages.

C++ has More than 35 Operators

C++ currently has more than 35 different operators, ranging from arithmetic and bit manipulation to logical operations, comparisons and more. Virtually all of these operators can be overloaded for specific types, although there are a few exceptions, one of which is the conditional operator. This vast array of operators makes C++ user definitions more like built-in types.

C++ has Two Main Concepts

C++ has two primary concepts on which the language was built: direct mapping for hardware features and zero-overhead abstractions for mapping. Perhaps this is why the language is often touted as a lightweight abstraction programming language used for creating efficient abstractions while also offering hardware access.

C++ Supports Four Types of Memory Management

Yep, C++ supports four different types of memory management: static storage duration objects, thread storage duration objects, automatic storage duration objects, and dynamic storage duration objects.

C++ was First Standardized in 1998

The working group known as JTC1/SC22/WG21 first standardized C++ in 1998. Since then, it has been standardized three other times, with the most recent being in 2014 (C++14). But that’s not the end of the line for the programming language. C++ is expected to be standardized again in 2017, although an exact date has yet to be announced.

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