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Practical C++ Programming, 2nd Edition
book

Practical C++ Programming, 2nd Edition

by Steve Oualline
December 2002
Beginner to intermediate
576 pages
14h 6m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Practical C++ Programming, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1. What Is C++?

Profanity is the one language that all programmers understand.

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The ability to organize and process information is the key to success in the modern age. Computers are designed to handle and process large amounts of information quickly and efficiently. However, they can’t do anything until someone tells them what to do. That’s where C++ comes in. C++ is a high-level programming language that allows a software engineer to efficiently communicate with a computer.

C++ is a highly flexible and adaptable language. Since its creation in 1980, it has been used for a wide variety of programs including firmware for microcontrollers, operating systems, applications, and graphics programming. C++ is the programming language of choice for a tremendous number of applications. There is a tremendous demand for people who can tell computers what to do, and C++ lets you do so quickly and efficiently.

A Brief History of C++

In 1970 two programmers, Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, created a new language called C. (The name came about because C was preceded by the old programming language they were using called B.) C was designed with one goal in mind: writing operating systems. The language was extremely simple and flexible and soon was used for many different types of programs. It quickly became one of the most popular programming languages in the world.

C had one major problem, however. It was a procedure-oriented language. This meant that in designing a typical ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596004192Errata Page