History of C++
C++ was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs in 1979. The language was created as an extension of the C programming language to include object-oriented features.
Originally, the language was called “C with Classes” because it added classes and other object-oriented concepts to the C language.
Early Development
In the early stages, Bjarne Stroustrup wanted to improve the C language by adding features that made programming more structured and easier to manage for large software systems.
By 1983, the language was officially renamed C++. The name C++ comes from the ++ operator in C, which means increment. It symbolized that the language was an improved version of C.
Major Milestones
- 1979 – Bjarne Stroustrup started developing “C with Classes”.
- 1983 – The language was renamed to C++.
- 1985 – The first edition of the book “The C++ Programming Language” was published.
- 1998 – The first international C++ standard (C++98) was released.
- 2011 – A major update called C++11 introduced many modern features.
- 2014 – Present – New standards such as C++14, C++17, C++20, and C++23 continue improving the language.
Growth and Popularity
Over the years, C++ became one of the most widely used programming languages in the world. It is used for building operating systems, game engines, high-performance applications, and embedded systems.
Modern C++
Modern versions of C++ include many powerful features such as smart pointers, lambda expressions, auto type deduction, and improved libraries. These features make C++ safer, faster, and easier to use for large-scale software development.
Next Topic
Next, learn about Features of C++.