What is C++?
C++ is a general-purpose programming language designed by Bjarne Stroustrup as an extension of C programming, meaning “C with Classes.” It has evolved significantly throughout its history, and modern C++ provides object-oriented, generic, and useful features. It is almost always implemented as a compiled language, and many vendors offer C++ compilers, including the Free Software Foundation, LLVM, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, and IBM. As a result, it is available on many platforms.
Why learn C++?
- C++ is one of the world’s most popular programming languages.
- C++ is used to develop games, desktop apps, operating systems, browsers, and so on because of its performance.
- C++ helps us to understand the internal architecture of a computer, and how the computer stores and retrieves information.
- C++ is an object-oriented programming language that gives a clear structure to programs and allows code to be reused, lowering development costs.
- After learning C++, it will be much easier to learn other programming languages like Java, Python, etc.
- C++ can be found in today’s operating systems, Graphical User Interfaces, and embedded systems.
- C++ is fun and easy to learn.
- As C++ is close to C#and Java, it makes it easy for programmers to switch to C++ or vice versa
Applications of C++
Today, every programmer works in C++, it is one of the 10 best programming languages in the world. Several C++ applications make it so popular even today after almost three decades of existence. Now, let’s have a look at the interesting departments where C++ is useful.
- Operating Systems: Most of the operating systems were developed using C++like Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, Symbian OS, and many more because of its high speed. It is important to note that C++ was developed keeping in mind the need to analyze distributed applications of the UNIX OS, the first operating system to be developed using a programming language, that is, C.
- GUI Based Applications: C++ is also used to develop GUI-based and desktop applications. Many Adobe applications, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, etc., are built using C++.
- Games: As C++ is closer to the hardware, its speed and faster execution help game developers utilize the CPU for thorough and intensive purposes. C++ removes the complexities of 3D in-game graphics. In addition, it provides a mechanism for resource management that facilitates multiplayer communication.
- Web Browsers: Web browsers need to be fast in execution as people do not like to wait for their web pages to be loaded. This is why most browsers are developed in C++ for rendering purposes. Mozilla Firefox is completely developed from C++. Google applications like Chrome and Google File System are partly written in C++.
- Graphics: C++ has high performance and speed which comes in handy for making applications that require 3D animation, modeling, image processing, and real-time simulations. It is beneficial to use C++ as a back-end programming language for all the graphics applications that require faster loading and minimum rendering, just like in browsers.
- Database Management System: Some of the major RDBMSs were developed in C++ like Oracle, MySQL, IBM, and a few more. C++ helps in managing data by the use of its features like file handling, high speed, and reliability, classes and objects, and functions.
- Banking Applications: C++, because of its speed, faster execution, closeness to the hardware, and multithreading supports, is perfect to develop banking applications. Since banking applications go through a multitude of transactions on a day-to-day basis, the low latency and faster processing of C++ come in handy. One of the most important banking applications – Infosys Finacle is in C++.
- Libraries: A wide variety of functions are offered as part of the C++ standard library, which is adopted as a backend programming language offering interfaces to many new and popular high-level libraries, such as machine learning libraries.
- Cloud computing: Nowadays cloud storage systems are extensively used in the current technology scenario. Cloud system storage requires scalability in file systems and also closeness to the machine, for which C++ is preferable. C++’s scalability and rich set of libraries provide developers with the high concurrence and load tolerance which are the prerequisites for such scenarios.
- Compilers: The compilers of various programming languages use C and C++ as the backend programming language. This is because both C and C++ are relatively lower-level languages and are closer to the hardware and therefore are the ideal choice for such compilation systems. These are a few uses and applications of the C++ programming language. Now, let’s know more about C++ advantages over other programming languages.
- Scanning: C++ has also helped develop scanning applications like film scanners and camera scanners along with the very useful MRI Scans Machines used in hospitals. PDF Technology is shorthand for Portable Document Format which now helps us in sharing, printing, archiving, and publishing documents using C++ in the backend.
Career
C++ has an immense job market expanding to industries like Finance, Android Application Development, Game Development, Virtual reality, and many more.
Top-notch companies like Google, Amazon, Flipkart, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Infosys, and Sun Microsystems hire C++ professionals. C++ Developers are much in demand, and they enjoy some of the high-paying jobs in the industry.
Conclusion
C++ has a wide variety of applications in the modern world, so learning it would be beneficial to everyone. We hope this article helped you learn about the different fields in which C++ is used. Now you can decide whether or not C++ would be beneficial for your career.