C++ is ranked the fastest-growing programming language according to TIOBE’s September 2020 Programming Community index. A general-purpose, object-oriented programming language, C++ was designed by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979 as an extension of the C language.
Even today, after almost four decades of its existence, C++ continues to be the preferred language of programmers and developers. In this article, we’ll look into what makes C++ so popular and delve into the practical applications of the language and how to build a career in the field.
What is C++ Programming?
C++ is an enhanced and extended version of C programming language, developed by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979 as part of his Ph.D. project. Bjarne developed what he called ‘C with Classes’ (later renamed C++) because he felt limited by the existing programming languages that were not ideal for large scale projects. He used C to build what he wanted because C was already a general-purpose language that was efficient and fast in its operations.
C++ is a sophisticated, efficient, general-purpose programming language. The free-form, statically-typed, multi-paradigm, and typically compiled programming language is most suitable for intermediate-level programmers. However, those who want to start their programming journey with C++ will find that they can quickly learn programming concepts that will carry them a long way in their career.
What’s Behind the Enduring Appeal and Growth of C++?
C++ can be found just about everywhere. Around 4.4 million developers worldwide use the language. Many modern systems like search engines, VR applications, databases, operating systems, web browsers, and even movie productions are powered by the C++ code. Adobe products, Unreal Engine, and the Chrome and Firefox browsers are built with C++. It is quite preferred in performance-critical areas due to its high speed. Plus, the latest release of C++20 standard is making C++ the fastest growing language in the developer community.
Considering the popularity and relevance of C++, it is a language worth learning even in 2021. C++ has an immense job market extending over various industries like Finance, Application Development, Game Development, Virtual Reality, etc.
The most popular use of C++ is for developing extensive software infrastructure and applications running on limited resources. C++ has the unique ability to directly manipulate the hardware or machine it runs on. Thus, programmers can adjust their code to run an application efficiently in any environment, even with hardware space or energy constraints. Such applications of C++ run quickly and efficiently on various devices, making C++ the perfect choice for several vital applications.
C++ Background and History
C++ was first released in 1985, but it was not until 1998 that the first standardized version—C++98—was released. In 2003, C++03, the following standard, was published with the primary intention of fixing bugs identified in C++98 and to ensure that the language had greater portability and consistency.
The next major upgrade to the language arrived eight years later (2011) and was named C++11. After that, C++14 was released and made simple improvements, and bug fixes to C++11 before the next major release: C++17. The current C++17 version has several new features and a much more extensive standard library. Based on the current three-year cycle, the next release is slated for release in 2020 and will be named C++20.
Figure 2: C++ roadmap
The use of C++17 has grown by 10 percent since last year (2018), according to JetBrains, as people continue to adopt the new C++ standards. Projections show that one-third of all developers plan to adopt C++17 within the next year.
Figure 3: Adoption of different C++ standards
Benefits of C++
As a feature-rich programming language, C++ brings a lot of benefits to the table, all of which can’t be enumerated in the scope of this article. However, as a beginner, here are some of the benefits that you should be aware of:
- Speed. Low-level programming languages are much faster than higher-level programming languages like Java and Python. Since C++ is an extended version of C, a low-level programming language, it is one of the fastest programming languages available.
- Efficiency. C++ has a standard template library (STL) that can be used extensively when coding. These libraries provide efficient algorithms that allow the programmer to save time and effort that would otherwise be expended creating code.
- Freedom to choose programming styles. C++ supports about seven different styles of coding, making it a multi-paradigm programming language. As such, you can select a style that fits your use case without having to use objects.
- Ability to break down complex problems into smaller sets. C++ is partially an object-oriented programming language, which means that you can solve complex issues intuitively by creating objects. Additionally, C++ functions allow you to break down code into logical blocks that are clear, easy to understand, and easy to test and modify.
- Ability to catch errors before execution. C++ is statically typed, which means that the compiler does not make assumptions about what the programmer types. The benefit is that the compiler can catch bugs and errors before execution, which can save time in the long run.
Figure 4: C++ features
The Practical Applications of C++
In this section, we discuss the top seven application areas that use C++.
Operating Systems
Most Operating Systems like Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, Symbian OS, and even mobile operating systems like IOS were developed using C++. Generally, operating systems need to be fast and efficient at handling system resources. The fact that C++ is a high-speed programming language with a wide range of system-level functions makes it an ideal choice for writing operating systems.
C++ was developed out of the need to analyze distributed applications of the UNIX Operating System, which was the first OS to be built using a programming language like C.