During the
late 1970s and early 1980s, C became the dominant computer programming language,
and it is still widely used today. Since C is a successful and useful language,
you might ask why a need for something else existed. The answer is complexity. Throughout
the history of programming, the increasing complexity of programs has driven
the need for better ways to manage that complexity. C++ is a response to that need.
To better understand why managing program complexity is fundamental to the creation
of C++, consider the following. Approaches to programming have changed dramatically
since the invention of the computer. For example, when computers were first
invented, programming was done by manually toggling in the binary machine
instructions by use of the front panel. As long as programs were just a few
hundred instructions long, this approach worked. As programs grew, assembly
language was invented so that a programmer could deal with larger, increasingly
complex programs by using symbolic representations of the machine instructions.
As programs continued to grow, high-level languages were introduced that gave
the programmer more tools with which to handle complexity. The first widespread
language was, of course, FORTRAN. While FORTRAN was an impressive first step,
it is hardly a language that encourages clear and easy-to understand programs.
The 1960s gave birth to structured programming. This is the method of
programming championed by languages such as C. The use of structured languages
enabled programmers to write, for the first time, moderately complex programs
fairly easily. However, even with structured programming methods, once a project
reaches a certain size, its complexity exceeds what a programmer can manage.
By the
early 1980s, many projects were pushing the structured approach past its
limits. To solve this problem, a new way to program was invented, called
object-oriented programming (OOP). Object-oriented programming is discussed in
detail later in this book, but here is a brief definition: OOP is a programming
methodology that helps organize complex programs through the use of inheritance,
encapsulation, and polymorphism.
C++ was
invented by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979, while he was working at Bell Laboratories
in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Stroustrup initially called the new language “C
with Classes.” However, in 1983, the name was changed to C++. C++ extends C by
adding object-oriented features. Because C++ is built upon the foundation of C,
it includes all of C’s features, attributes, and benefits. This is a crucial
reason for the success of C++ as a language. The invention of C++ was not an
attempt to create a completely new programming language. Instead, it was an
enhancement to an already highly successful one. By the end of the 1980s and
the early 1990s, object-oriented programming using C++ took hold. Indeed, for a
brief moment it seemed as if programmers had finally found the perfect
language. Because C++ blended the high efficiency and stylistic elements of C
with the object-oriented paradigm, it was a language that could be used to
create a wide range of programs. However, just as in the past, forces were
brewing that would, once again, drive computer language evolution forward.
Within a few years, the World Wide Web and the Internet would reach critical
mass. This event would precipitate another revolution in programming.
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