Introduction Guide to C++

Hello World,

This blog is a beginner’s introductory guide to getting familiar with the language C++. C++ today is used in many different software companies. It is used for writing, testing, and making new programs. I wanted to get familiar with this language because I recently started applying for software developing internships and jobs. On one of the websites for an internship I applied for, I was required to take an assessment for the company to get a general understanding of the skills and knowledge I possess. There were questions on general programming, C++, SQL, and ASP.NET. Because it was optional to attempt any question from languages you do not know, I decided to try the questions for C++ and the outcome was not pretty.

C++ was created in 1983 by a man named Bjarne Stroustrup. Originally the language was modeled after the language C as well as a language called Simula. He wanted to take some of the advantages of each language and make something new. The con with the language C was that it could not implement the ideas behind the object-oriented programming paradigm. Simula implemented object oriented programming but the speed at which programs were compiled was too slow. Therefore the reason this language exists is because Stroustrup wanted to implement object-orientated programming and make the run time of the actions fast just like C.

If you are familiar with any other language ++ means to increment. This allows C++ to take the hidden meaning that it is always incrementing and always getting better. In fact, today there are three different editions of the language. There is C++98 which is the first edition, C++03 which is the second edition, and C++11 which is the third edition.

For this blog, I’m planning on doing some practice problems to better understand the concepts I will cover. These practice problems may come from StackOverFlow.com or CodeChef.com. I may even get a textbook online that can better explain some concepts and provide examples to go along with them. One book I looked at was C++ How to Program (7th Edition). However, I will keep you informed as to where I get the practice problems I do.

Finally the primary compiler that I will be using is called C++ Shell. It is free to use and run and you can find it by doing a search online or by clicking this link C++ Shell. There is also a free compiler on one of the resources I previously listed. The link for it is CodeChef Compiler.

Also, I have no experience with C++ so if you happen to see something incorrect or if you have a better way of explaining something, please leave a message for me in the comment section below.

Thanks!