The Origins of C++

C++ began as an expanded version of C. The C++ extensions were first invented by Bjarne Stroustrup in1979 at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. He initially called the new language "C with Classes." However, in1983the name was changed to C++.

Although C was one of the most liked and widely used professional programming languages in the world, the invention of C++ was necessitated by one major programming factor: increasing complexity. Over the years, computer programs have become larger and more complex. Even though C is an excellent programming language, it has its limits. In C, once a program exceeds from 25,000 to100,000 lines of code, it becomes so complex that it is difficult to grasp as a totality. The purpose of C++ is to allow this barrier to be broken. The essence of C++ is to allow the programmer to comprehend and manage larger, more complex programs.

Most additions made by Stroustrup to C support object-oriented programming, sometimes referred to as OOP. Stroustrup states that some of C++'s object-oriented features were inspired by another object- oriented language called Simula67. Therefore, C++  represents the blending of two powerful programming methods.

Since C++ was first invented, it has under gone three major revisions, with each adding to and altering the language. The first revision was in 1985 and these condign 1990. The third occurred during the standardization of C++. Several years ago, work began on a standard for C++. Toward that end, a joint ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and ISO (International Standards Organization) standardization committee was formed. The first draft of the proposed standard was created on January 25, 1994. In that draft, the ANSI/ISO C++ committee (of which I am a member) kept the features first defined by Stroustrup and added some new ones as well. But in general, this initial draft reflected the state of C++ at the time.

Soon after the completion of the first draft of the C++ standard, an event occurred that caused the language to be greatly expanded: the creation of the Standard Template Library (STL) by Alexander Stepanov. The STL is a set of generic routines that you can use to manipulate data. It Is both powerful and elegant, but also quite large. Subsequent to the first draft, the committee voted to include the STL in the specification for C++. The addition of the STL expanded the scope of C++ well beyond its original definition. While important, the inclusion of the STL,among other things, slowed the standardization of C++.

It is fair to say that the standardization of C++ took far longer than any one had expected when it began. In the process, many new features were added to the language and many small changes were made. In fact, the version of C++ defined by the C++ committee is much larger and more complex than Stroustrup's original design. However, the standard is now complete. The final draft was passed out of committee on November 14, 1997. A standard for C++ is now a reality.