C++ Primer Plus

Compilation and Linking

Originally, Stroustrup implemented C++ with a C++-to-C compiler program instead of developing a direct C++-to-object code compiler. This program, called cfront (for C front end), translated C++ source code to C source code, which could then be compiled by a standard C compiler. This approach simplified introducing C++ to the C community. Other implementations have used this approach to bring C++ to other platforms. As C++ has developed and grown in popularity, more and more implementers have turned to creating C++ compilers that generate object code directly from C++ source code. This direct approach speeds up the compilation process and emphasizes that C++ is a separate, if similar, language.

The mechanics of compiling ...