C/C++

Why C Programming Language?

The C Programming Language was developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in the early 1970s. It evolved from an earlier programming language called B, which was created by Ken Thompson. B was derived from BCPL (Basic Combined Programming Language), a language developed at Cambridge University.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bell Labs was involved in the development of the Multics Operating System, but due to some complexities and disagreements, Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and others started work on a simpler and more flexible system, which eventually became Unix. As part of this effort, they found the need for a programming language suited to write the operating system and other system software efficiently.

Ritchie, inspired by the B language but also recognising its limitations, started to improve upon it and created what he initially called "New B," eventually becoming the C programming language. C was designed to be a general-purpose, high-level language that allowed low-level access to memory and provided constructs that mapped efficiently to machine instructions. This made it well-suited for systems programming.

In 1978, the first edition of "The C Programming Language" book, written by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, was published. This book became instrumental in popularising C among programmers and contributed significantly to its widespread adoption.

As Unix grew in popularity and C became the language of choice for developing system software, its usage expanded beyond Bell Labs, eventually becoming one of the most influential programming languages in the history of computing.

C Programming Language remains relevant for several reasons:

• Efficiency: C is known for its high performance and efficiency. It allows for low-level manipulation of memory, making it suitable for system programming and developing applications where speed and resource utilisation are critical.
  
  
• Portability: C code can run on different platforms with minimal or no modifications. This portability is crucial in developing operating systems and embedded systems.
  
  
• Widely Used: Many other programming languages and operating systems are implemented in C. Understanding C can provide insights into how these languages and systems work under the hood.
  
  
• Foundation for Other Languages: C has greatly influenced many other languages like C++, Java, Python, and more. Learning C can provide a strong foundation for understanding these languages.
  
  
• Embedded Systems: C is extensively used in embedded systems programming due to its close-to-hardware capabilities, making it ideal for applications in IoT devices, microcontrollers, and firmware development.
  
  
• Community Support: Being an old language, C has a vast community of developers and a wealth of resources, tutorials, and libraries available for learning and development.
  
  
• Performance-Critical Applications: For applications where speed and direct hardware manipulation are crucial, like in game development or certain types of system software, C remains a go-to choice due to its high performance.
  
  

Why C++ Programming Language?

C++ emerged as an extension of the C programming language, aiming to add object-oriented programming (OOP) features while retaining the efficiency and power of C. Here are several reasons why C++ gained prominence:

• Object-Oriented Programming: C++ introduced concepts like classes, objects, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation, making it easier to organise and manage complex codebases. OOP allows for better code reuse, modularity, and scalability.
  
  
• Backward Compatibility with C: C++ is backward compatible with C, meaning you can include C code in a C++ program and vice versa. This compatibility allowed for a smooth transition for C programmers into the world of object-oriented programming.
  
  
• High Performance: Like C, C++ provides direct access to hardware and memory, enabling efficient and high-performance code. It allows both high-level abstractions and low-level manipulations, giving developers control over system resources.
  
  
• Rich Standard Library: C++ offers a robust standard library that includes various data structures, algorithms, containers, and utilities, providing ready-to-use components for development.
  
  
• Flexibility: C++ supports multiple programming paradigms, including procedural, object-oriented, and generic programming. Its versatility allows developers to choose the most appropriate paradigm for their project.
  
  
• Community and Ecosystem: C++ has a large and active community, with extensive documentation, libraries, frameworks, and toolsets available. This support system makes it easier for developers to find solutions and resources.
  
  
• Used in Various Domains: C++ is widely used in various domains, including game development, system software, embedded systems, finance, high-frequency trading, graphics, and more due to its performance and flexibility.
  
  
• Standardisation: The language has evolved over the years through standardisation efforts, with the introduction of new features and improvements in each version (C++11, C++14, C++17, C++20, etc.).
  
  
• Support for Programming Paradigms: C++ is favoured for its blend of performance, flexibility, and support for both low-level and high-level programming paradigms, making it a powerful language for a wide range of applications.
  
  

Software, Applications, Websites, and other things built using C or C++

• Software:

  1. Operating Systems: Unix, Linux, Windows (many components are written in C/C++).
  2. System Software: Device Drivers, Compilers (like GCC - written in C++), Interpreters (e.g., Python, Ruby), and System Utilities.
  3. Game Engines: Unreal Engine, Unity (parts are written in C++).
  4. Graphics and Animation Software: Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, Blender.
  5. Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL.
  6. Web Browsers: Mozilla Firefox (components are written in C++).
  7. Microsoft Office Suite: Parts of Microsoft Office are written in C++.
  8. Media Players: VLC Media Player, Winamp.
  9. Anti-virus Software: McAfee, Norton (use C/C++ for core functionality).
  10. Virtualisation Software: VMware, VirtualBox.
  11. Embedded Systems: Many devices and appliances like microwaves, TVs, automotive systems, and IoT devices run on firmware written in C or C++.
  12. Real-Time Systems: Aerospace and Defense Systems, Industrial Automation, Robotics, and Control Systems often use C or C++ for their real-time capabilities.
  13. Telecommunications: Telecommunication infrastructure, including networking equipment, telecom switches, and protocols, uses C or C++ for their performance and reliability.
  14. High-Performance Computing (HPC): Supercomputers and Scientific Computing Clusters utilise C and C++ for their computational efficiency.
  15. Machine Learning and AI: Frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch have critical components written in C++ for performance.
  16. CAD/CAM Software: Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing Software often use C++ for their graphical capabilities and computational efficiency.
  17. Gaming Middleware: Middleware solutions like PhysX (physics engine) and FMOD (audio engine) are written in C++ and are extensively used in game development.
  18. Multimedia Frameworks: Libraries like FFmpeg (multimedia handling) and OpenCV (computer vision) are written in C/C++.
  19. Financial Trading Platforms: High-frequency Trading Platforms and Algorithmic Trading Systems use C or C++ for their speed and reliability.
  
  
  

• Applications:

  1. Adobe Systems: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere.
  2. Gaming: Games developed using engines like Unreal Engine or Unity, and many older games were programmed in C/C++.
  3. Engineering and Scientific Applications: MATLAB, Mathematica.
  4. Financial Software: Bloomberg Terminal, high-frequency trading systems.
  5. Security Tools: Wireshark (packet analyser), Snort (intrusion detection system).
  
  
  

• Websites/Services:

  1. Search Engines: Google's core algorithms are written in C++.
  2. Social Media Platforms: Parts of Facebook, such as the back-end systems.
  3. Web Servers: Apache HTTP Server (parts are written in C).
  4. Networking: Network equipment, routers, and switches often use C or C++ for their firmware.
  
  
  

• Frameworks and Libraries:

  1. Boost C++ Libraries: A collection of portable C++ source libraries covering tasks from data structures to multi-threading.
  2. STL (Standard Template Library): Part of the C++ Standard Library, providing various generic algorithms, containers, and functions.
  3. Qt Framework: A popular C++ framework for developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and cross-platform applications.
  
  
  

• Development Tools:

  1. IDEs: Development environments like Microsoft Visual Studio, Eclipse CDT, and CLion are partly or entirely written in C++.
  2. Compilers and Interpreters: GCC (GNU Compiler Collection), LLVM/Clang, and the Python interpreter have significant parts written in C or C++.
  
  
  

• Programming Languages and Technologies:

  1. Python: CPython, the reference implementation of Python, is written in C. Python's standard library also includes modules written in C for performance-critical tasks.
  2. Ruby: The original implementation of Ruby, known as MRI (Matz's Ruby Interpreter), is primarily written in C.
  3. Perl: The Perl interpreter, originally written in C, was later re-implemented as Perl 6 using C++ (known as Rakudo Perl).
  4. PHP: The PHP interpreter, Zend Engine, is written in C.
  5. Lua: The Lua programming language's core implementation is written in C.
  6. Rust: While Rust itself is not implemented in C or C++, its initial compiler was written in OCaml and bootstrapped using C++. Rust was developed with a focus on memory safety and performance, often used as a replacement for C/C++ in certain domains.
  7. Julia: The Julia programming language has parts of its implementation written in C and C++ for performance.
  8. Java: Java, as a programming language, was originally implemented in C and C++. The first version of the Java compiler (javac) and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) were primarily written in C and C++. The JVM, which executes the bytecode, was written in C and C++ to ensure that it could be ported and run efficiently on various operating systems and hardware architectures. This design decision helped Java gain popularity as a portable and versatile language suitable for a wide range of applications.
  
  
  

• Compiler and Toolchain Development:

  1. GCC (GNU Compiler Collection): GCC is written primarily in C and C++. It supports various programming languages like C, C++, Fortran, Ada, and others.
  2. LLVM/Clang: The LLVM compiler infrastructure, along with the Clang C/C++ compiler, is written in C++ and is used for compiling various languages.
  3. Visual C++ Compiler: Microsoft's Visual C++ compiler is written in C++ and is used to compile C and C++ code on Windows platforms.