C Programming Language
- Procedural and efficient: C is an imperative, procedural language that provides low-level access to memory and hardware, making it ideal for systems programming like operating systems and device drivers.
- A foundational language: Developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in the early 1970s, C is often called the “mother” of many other languages (such as C++, Java, and Python) because they borrowed much of its syntax and features.
- Manual memory management: Programmers use functions like
malloc()andfree()for dynamic memory allocation and deallocation. - Syntax: It is known for its clear, concise syntax, using
#include <stdio.h>for standard input/output operations likeprintf()andscanf().
C++ Programming Language
- An extension of C: C++ was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979 as an extension of C, initially called “C with Classes”. The “++” is a reference to the C increment operator, symbolizing an enhanced version.
- Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): The main addition to C is the support for OOP features like classes, objects, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation, which helps organize complex, large-scale projects.
- Multi-paradigm: C++ is a hybrid language that supports both procedural and object-oriented programming paradigms, offering flexibility to the developer.
- High performance and control: It provides a high level of control over system resources and memory, making it the language of choice for performance-critical applications like game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine), high-frequency trading, and Adobe software.
- Modern features: Modern C++ (C++11, C++14, C++17, C++20, C++23 standards) includes powerful features such as the Standard Template Library (STL), templates, exception handling, and namespaces, which enhance productivity and code safety.