History of C++

C++ is a general-purpose programming language that combines the efficiency of low-level programming with the features of high-level programming. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979 at Bell Labs as an extension of the C programming language.

• Supports both procedural and object-oriented programming.
• Widely used in software development, game development, operating systems, and competitive programming.

Origin of the Name C++

Initially, the language was called "C with Classes" because it added classes to the C language. In 1983, it was renamed C++. The ++ operator in C is the increment operator, meaning "increase by one." Therefore, C++ can be interpreted as an enhanced version of C.

Evolution of C++

Since its creation in 1979, C++ has undergone several major updates, adding powerful features while maintaining its speed and efficiency.

1979 -> Birth of C with Classes

Bjarne Stroustrup began developing C with Classes, the predecessor of C++. It combined the efficiency of C with object-oriented concepts inspired by Simula.

• Classes and Objects
• Inheritance
• Stronger Type Checking

1983 -> C++ Officially Introduced

The language was officially renamed from C with Classes to C++, representing an enhanced version of C.

• Function Overloading
• Virtual Functions
• References and Const Keyword
• Single-Line Comments (//)

1985 -> First Commercial Release

The first edition of The C++ Programming Language was published, making C++ widely available to developers.

• Official documentation released
• Commercial adoption began
• Growing industry acceptance

1989 -> Major Enhancements

Several powerful object-oriented features were added, making C++ more suitable for large-scale applications.

• Protected Members
• Static Members
• Multiple Inheritance

1990 -> Reference Manual and Turbo C++

The Annotated C++ Reference Manual was published, and Borland introduced the popular Turbo C++ compiler.

• Standardized language reference
• Turbo C++ compiler released
• Increased developer adoption

1998 -> C++98

The first international C++ standard, ISO/IEC 14882:1998, was released.

• Reusable containers
• Generic algorithms
• Improved productivity

Major Addition: Standard Template Library (STL)

2003 -> C++03

C++03 refined the C++98 standard by fixing issues and improving language consistency.

• Bug Fixes
• Language Refinements
• Value Initialization

2011 -> C++11

C++11 was one of the most significant updates in C++ history, introducing modern programming features.

• Lambda Expressions
• Auto Keyword
• nullptr
• Rvalue References
• Variadic Templates
• Multithreading Support
• Smart Pointers

2014 -> C++14

C++14 focused on improving and extending features introduced in C++11.

• Generic Lambdas
• Variable Templates
• Binary Literals
• Improved constexpr Support

2017 -> C++17

C++17 enhanced developer productivity and simplified code writing.

• Fold Expressions
• Structured Bindings
• Inline Variables
• Filesystem Library

2020 -> C++20

C++20 was a major modernization release that introduced powerful language and library improvements.

• Concepts
• Ranges Library
• Coroutines
• Modules
• Three-Way Comparison Operator (<=>)
• Calendar and Timezone Library

2023 -> C++23

C++23 is the latest published C++ standard, focusing on usability, performance, and library enhancements.

• Enhanced Standard Library
• Better Formatting Utilities
• Additional Ranges Support
• Improved Language Consistency and Performance

Why Was C++ Created?

Bjarne Stroustrup wanted to combine the speed and efficiency of C with the object-oriented capabilities of the Simula language. The primary goals of C++ were:

• Preserve the performance of C.
• Add object-oriented programming features.
• Improve code reusability and maintainability.
• Support the development of large-scale software applications.

Summary Table of history of various C++ versions: