programming-for-dummies

Chapter 1: C and C++
In This Chapter
Understanding the structure of a C/C++ program
Declaring variables, data types, and values
Using mathematical operators
Branching and looping statements
Creating data structures and objects
The C language focuses on simplicity. Whereas other programming languages
include a large numbers of keywords, the C language consists
of a much smaller number of keywords. As a result, creating C compilers is
relatively easy compared to creating compilers for other programming languages,
which means that C compilers are easy to write for every operating
system. This makes it easier to transfer, or port, C programs from one computer
to another.
Because the C language consists of relatively few keywords, it lacks features
commonly found in other programming languages, such as offering a string
data type. To compensate for its relative sparseness of features, most C
compilers include a variety of library files that contain pre-written C code
that adds these useful features to the C language. The main problem with
C compilers is that every C compiler tends to offer different library files,
so a C program designed to run on Windows may not run correctly with a
different C compiler on Linux.
The C++ language builds on the C language by adding object-oriented features
while retaining the C language’s hardware access, speed, and portability.
Most large and complicated programs, such as operating systems, are
written in C++.
Because C/C++ gives complete access to all parts of the computer, a mistake
in a C/C++ program can wipe out data off a hard disk or crash the entire
operating system of the computer. Writing C/C++ programs may be easy, but
understanding and fixing C/C++ programs can be difficult.
Despite these problems, C/C++ is heavily used throughout the computer
industry. To understand programming, you must become familiar with the
C/C++ programming language.