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Some computer languages are written for a specific purpose. Like, Java was initially devised to control toasters and some other electronics. C was developed for programming OS. Pascal was conceptualized to teach proper programming techniques. But C++ is a general-purpose language. It well deserves the widely acknowledged nickname “Swiss Pocket Knife of Languages.”

In this introduction to C++ tutorial, you will learn C++ basic concepts

• What is C++?
• Popular programming languages in use?
• Is C++ best programming language?
• Who uses C++?
• Five Basic Concepts of C++
• Use of C++ Programming Language

What makes C++ unique?

C++ is a general-purpose programming language, created by Bjarne Stroustrup and his team at Bell Laboratories in 1979. Over the decades, C++ has become the language of choice for certain kinds of applications.

C++ is most popularly used for building large software infrastructure and applications that run on limited resources. Because C++ can directly manipulate the hardware (or machine) that it runs on, programmers can fine-tune their code to run efficiently in any environment, even when there’s limited hardware space or energy available to power the application. This translates to applications that run quickly and reliably on a variety of devices, making C++ ideal for forming the base layer of many important applications.

For these reasons, C++ is an excellent choice for building software that is fast, efficient at managing system resources, and reliable in performing critical tasks.

Popular programming languages in use?

Popular languages that are mainly in use are Java, C++, Python, and C.

Lower level languages like

• Assembly Language
• C
• C++

These languages force the programmer to think more about the problem in computer programming terms and its implementations, instead of the business logic.

Is C++ best programming language?

The answer depends on perspective and requirements. Some tasks can be done in C++, though not very quickly. For example, designing GUI screens for applications.

Other languages like Visual Basic, Python have GUI design elements built into them. Therefore, they are better suited for GUI type of task.

Some of the scripting languages that provide extra programmability to applications. Such as MS Word and even photoshop tend to be variants of Basic, not C++.

C++ is still used widely, and the most famous software have their backbone in C++.

This tutorial will help you learn C++ basic and the advanced concepts.

Who uses C++?

Some of today’s most visible used systems have their critical parts written in C++.

Examples are Amadeus (airline ticketing)

• Bloomberg (financial formation),
• Amazon (Web commerce), Google (Web search)
• Facebook (social media)

Many programming languages depend on C++’s performance and reliability in their implementation. Examples include:

• Java Virtual Machines
• JavaScript interpreters (e.g., Google’s V8)
• Browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox, Apple’s Safari, and Google’s Chrome)
• Application and Web frameworks (e.g., Microsoft’s .NET Web services framework).

Applications that involve local and wide area networks, user interaction, numeric, graphics, and database access highly depend on C++ language.

Five Basic Concepts of C++

Here are five basic C++ concepts:

• C++ Variables
• And C++ Control Structures
• C++ Data Structures
• and C++ Syntax
• C++ Tools

C++ Variables

• Variables are the backbone of any programming language.
• A variable is merely a way to store some information for later use. We can retrieve this value or data by referring to a “word” that will describe this information.
• Once declared and defined they may be used many times within the scope in which they were declared.

C++ Control Structures

• When a program runs, the code is read by the compiler line by line (from top to bottom, and for the most part left to right). This is known as “code flow.“
• When the code is being read from top to bottom, it may encounter a point where it needs to make a decision. Based on the decision, the program may jump to a different part of the code. It may even make the compiler re-run a specific piece again, or just skip a bunch of code.

C++ Data Structures

Let’s use a list of courses on “guru99” as the example! You probably have a list of courses in front of you. But how do you think they stored that. Also There can be a lot of courses, and different users may register for different courses.

A data structure is a great way to get around having to create thousands of variables. C++ contains many types of inbuilt data structures. Most often used is arrays which will be taught later.

C++ Syntax

The syntax is a layout of words, expression, and symbols.

Well, it’s because an email address has its well-defined syntax. You need some combination of letters, numbers, potentially with underscores (_) or periods (.) in between, followed by an at the rate (@) symbol, followed by some website domain (company.com).

So, syntax in a programming language is much the same. They are some well-defined set of rules that allow you to create some piece of well-functioning software.

But, if you don’t abide by the rules of a programming language or syntax, you’ll get errors.

C++ Tools

In the real world, a tool is something (usually a physical object) that helps you to get a certain job done promptly.

Well, this holds true with the programming world too. A tool in programming is some piece of software which when used with the code allows you to program faster.

Also There are probably tens of thousands, if not millions of different tools across all the programming languages.

Most crucial tool, considered by many, is an IDE, an Integrated Development Environment. An IDE is a software which will make your coding life so much easier. IDEs ensure that your files and folders are organized and give you a nice and clean way to view them.

Use of C++ Programming Language

• Operating Systems
• Games
• Browsers
• Libraries
• Graphics
• Banking Applications
• Cloud/Distributed Systems
• Embedded Systems
• Compilers

Operating Systems

Wheater it is Microsoft Windows or Mac OSX or Linux – all of the operating systems have some parts which are programmed in C++.  In Addition It is the backbone of all the well-known OSs as C++ is a strongly typed and quick programming language, that makes it an ideal choice for developing an operating system.

Games

Because of the fact that it is one of the fastest programming languages, C++ is widely used in programming of game development engines. C++ can easily manipulate hardware resources and it can also provide procedural programming for CPU intensive functions.

Browsers

The rendering engines of various web browsers are programm in C++ because of the speed it offers.

Libraries

Many high-level libraries use C++ as the core programming language. For example, several Machine Learning libraries use C++ in the backend because of its speed.

Graphics

Also C++ is widely used in almost all graphics applications that require fast rendering, image processing, real-time physics and mobile sensors.

Banking Applications

One of the most popularly used core-banking systems – Infosys Finacle, uses C++ as the backend programming language. Banking applications need to process millions of transactions on a daily basis and require high concurrency and low latency support.

Cloud/Distributed Systems

Cloud storage systems use scalable file-systems that work close to the hardware. That’s why C++ becomes a preferred choice for Cloud systems.

Embedded Systems

Various embedded systems like medical machines, smartwatches, etc., use C++ as the primary programming language.

Compilers

Compilers of various programming languages use C++ as the backend programming language.

Conclusion

Therefore in this article we talked about the What is C++ programming and every things it?