C++ Tutorials - C Plus Plus Baiscs

Section 0.1: The Purpose of this Tutorial

Welcome to the online C++ tutorial! The purpose of this tutorial is to give a good understanding of the programming language C++ to any person that wants it.
So what is C++? Why are so many programs written in C++?
C++ is a third generation programming language. When computers were first invented, they were programmed with very simple, low-level commands. A programmer would design a program, then translate the program into a specific set of codes, known as machine language. These codes would be fed into a computer with switches, punch-cards, or primitive keypads. These programs were cumbersome to write, and very hard to debug. (Debugging is the act of removing mistakes in a program.) Machine code is considered the first generation of programming languages.
Assembly languages are considered the second generation of programming languages. Assembly languages allow a programmer to design a program and translate it into machine language using a piece of software called an assembler. Most assembly languages are still very cumbersome to work with. However, the biggest disadvantage of assembly languages is that they are processor-specific. This means that programs written in assembly language will only work on processors similar to the one of the machine that they were written on.
Third generation languages are compiled languages. These languages are not processor-specific. In theory, a program written in a third generation language will be able to run on any other machine. This is not always the case, due to a number of factors. Third generation languages are much more abstract than assembly languages. Third generation languages are translated into assembly language by a complicated piece of software called a compiler A compiler can be thought of a a language translater.


C++ is a very useful language, because it gives the programmer a lot of control, but also is abstract enough so development can be done fairly quickly. C++ is a very portable language as well, because it is a third-generation language, and because it has a well defined set of standards written for it.
C++ is widely used for program development under a variety of operating systems. Good C++ programmers are in high demand today.