Introduction

As the world becomes smarter, so do our devices. Everything from watches to our refrigerators now have the capacity to run code, a large portion of which is C++. Between 1972 and 1973 Dennis Richie authored the C programming language while working at Bell Labs. While great for efficiency, thanks to features such as low-level memory access, C is a procedural language and so does not provide object-orientated features. In response to this, Bjarne Stroustup, also while working at Bell Labs, began working on "C with classes" in 1979. In 1983, the language was renamed C++, and it saw its first commercial release two years later in 1985. Since then, it has gone through many standardizations, the last in December 2017, and continues to be governed by the International Organization for Standardization.

Utilized in everything from operating systems to cutting-edge 3D game engines, C++ is the backbone of countless systems and industries, not least because of its high-performance capabilities, flexibility, and portability. C++ puts you close to the hardware, so it is often the tool of choice for performance-critical applications.

The goal of this course is to demystify the C++ programming language, and to get you writing quality code as quickly as possible through a very pragmatic approach. While theory is certainly required, and will be covered where necessary, we'll mainly be focusing on practical application—learning by tackling real-world exercises and activities.

To start our journey, we looked at a brief history of the language. While this alone won't make you a better programmer, it's always good to have context for what we're doing and why. By learning the origins of the language and how it's used in industry, we will set ourselves up with an informed starting point for the journey ahead.

We're then going to jump right into dissecting a basic C++ application. By breaking an application down into its constituent parts, we can gain an understanding of the main pieces that it comprises. We'll then expand on this basic understanding by looking at each part in more detail throughout the rest of this introductory chapter.

When we've concluded this chapter, we'll not only have an understanding of the origin of the language; we'll also be familiar with the different core parts of an application. We'll be able to look at an example C++ application with a sense of meaning and understanding. We'll then use this basic understanding to springboard into the next chapter, where we'll look deeper into the language at specific features and functionality.

Advantages of C++

Before we dive into the structure of a C++ program, let's have a look at a few key benefits of the language:

• Performance: By putting the programmer close to the hardware, C++ allows us to write very efficient programs. Along with low-level memory access, the abstraction between code and what the machine will do is smaller than in most other languages, meaning you can manipulate the system better.
• Portability: C++ can be cross-compiled to a wide array of platforms, and runs on everything from watches to televisions. If you're writing an application or library for more than one platform, C++ shines.
• General purpose: C++ is a general-purpose programming language, and is used in everything from video games to enterprise. With a rich feature set spanning everything from direct memory management to classes and other Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) principles, you can make C++ work for you.
• Large libraries: Since the language is used in so many applications, there's an abundance of libraries to choose from. With hundreds of open source repositories, the wealth of information (and the support systems that come with it) is vast.

C++ is a double-edged sword, however, and as the famous saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility". C++ gives you enough room to do great things, but also to get yourself into trouble if used incorrectly. Bjarne himself once said of the language, "C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do it blows your whole leg off." That's not to say by any means that C++ should be avoided, just that it should be used deliberately and with consideration—something the following chapter will impart.