C++ is used by hundreds of thousands of programmers in essentially every application domain.This use is supported by about a dozen independent implementations, hundreds of libraries, hundredsof textbooks, several technical journals, many conferences, and innumerable consultants.
Training and education at a variety of levels are widely available.
Early applications tended to have a strong systems programming flavor. For example, several major operating systems have been written in C++ and many more have key parts done in C++. I considered uncompromising low-level efficiency essential for C++. This allows us to use C++ to write device drivers and other software that rely on direct manipulation of hardware under real-time constraints. In such code, predictability of performance is at least as important as raw speed. Often, so is compactness
of the resulting system. C++ was designed so that every language feature is usable in code under severe time and space constraints.
Most applications have sections of code that are critical for acceptable performance. However,the largest amount of code is not in such sections. For most code, maintainability, ease of extension,and ease of testing is key. C++’s support for these concerns has led to its widespread use where reliability is a must and in areas where requirements change significantly over time. Examples are banking, trading, insurance, telecommunications, and military applications. For years, the central control of the U.S. long-distance telephone system has relied on C++ and every 800 call
(that is, a call paid for by the called party) has been routed by a C++ program.
Many such applications are large and long-lived. As a result, stability, compatibility, and scalability have been constant concerns in the development of C++. Million-line C++ programs are not uncommon.
Like C, C++ wasn’t specifically designed with numerical computation in mind. However, much numerical, scientific, and engineering computation is done in C++. A major reason for this is that traditional numerical work must often be combined with graphics and with computations relying on data structures that don’t fit into the traditional Fortran mold.
Graphics and user interfaces are areas in which C++ is heavily used. Anyone who has used either an Apple Macintosh or a PC running Windows has indirectly used C++ because the primary user interfaces of these systems are C++ programs. In addition, some of the most popular libraries supporting X for UNIX are written in C++. Thus, C++ is a common choice for the vast number of applications in which the user interface is a major part.
All of this points to what may be C++’s greatest strength: its ability to be used effectively for applications that require work in a variety of application areas. It is quite common to find an application that involves local and wide-area networking, numerics, graphics, user interaction, and database access. Traditionally, such application areas have been considered distinct, and they have most often been served by distinct technical communities using a variety of programming languages.
However, C++ has been widely used in all of those areas. Furthermore, it is able to coexist with code fragments and programs written in other languages.
C++ is widely used for teaching and research. This has surprised some who – correctly – point
out that C++ isn’t the smallest or cleanest language ever designed. It is, however
– clean enough for successful teaching of basic concepts,
– realistic, efficient, and flexible enough for demanding projects,
Section 1.5 Use of C++ 13
– available enough for organizations and collaborations relying on diverse development and
execution environments,
– comprehensive enough to be a vehicle for teaching advanced concepts and techniques, and
– commercial enough to be a vehicle for putting what is learned into non-academic use.
C++ is a language that you can grow with.
Training and education at a variety of levels are widely available.
Early applications tended to have a strong systems programming flavor. For example, several major operating systems have been written in C++ and many more have key parts done in C++. I considered uncompromising low-level efficiency essential for C++. This allows us to use C++ to write device drivers and other software that rely on direct manipulation of hardware under real-time constraints. In such code, predictability of performance is at least as important as raw speed. Often, so is compactness
of the resulting system. C++ was designed so that every language feature is usable in code under severe time and space constraints.
Most applications have sections of code that are critical for acceptable performance. However,the largest amount of code is not in such sections. For most code, maintainability, ease of extension,and ease of testing is key. C++’s support for these concerns has led to its widespread use where reliability is a must and in areas where requirements change significantly over time. Examples are banking, trading, insurance, telecommunications, and military applications. For years, the central control of the U.S. long-distance telephone system has relied on C++ and every 800 call
(that is, a call paid for by the called party) has been routed by a C++ program.
Many such applications are large and long-lived. As a result, stability, compatibility, and scalability have been constant concerns in the development of C++. Million-line C++ programs are not uncommon.
Like C, C++ wasn’t specifically designed with numerical computation in mind. However, much numerical, scientific, and engineering computation is done in C++. A major reason for this is that traditional numerical work must often be combined with graphics and with computations relying on data structures that don’t fit into the traditional Fortran mold.
Graphics and user interfaces are areas in which C++ is heavily used. Anyone who has used either an Apple Macintosh or a PC running Windows has indirectly used C++ because the primary user interfaces of these systems are C++ programs. In addition, some of the most popular libraries supporting X for UNIX are written in C++. Thus, C++ is a common choice for the vast number of applications in which the user interface is a major part.
All of this points to what may be C++’s greatest strength: its ability to be used effectively for applications that require work in a variety of application areas. It is quite common to find an application that involves local and wide-area networking, numerics, graphics, user interaction, and database access. Traditionally, such application areas have been considered distinct, and they have most often been served by distinct technical communities using a variety of programming languages.
However, C++ has been widely used in all of those areas. Furthermore, it is able to coexist with code fragments and programs written in other languages.
C++ is widely used for teaching and research. This has surprised some who – correctly – point
out that C++ isn’t the smallest or cleanest language ever designed. It is, however
– clean enough for successful teaching of basic concepts,
– realistic, efficient, and flexible enough for demanding projects,
Section 1.5 Use of C++ 13
– available enough for organizations and collaborations relying on diverse development and
execution environments,
– comprehensive enough to be a vehicle for teaching advanced concepts and techniques, and
– commercial enough to be a vehicle for putting what is learned into non-academic use.
C++ is a language that you can grow with.
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