October 05, 2022

Why has the C language evolved into C++?

 

It is not sufficient to talk only about programming languages, because in the reality a standalone C compiler is a rare sort of software What was used in the 1990s mostly were integrated development tools e.g. Borland Turbo C, Microsoft QuickC and Watcom C. What these mainstream programs have in common is a bundle which contains of an underlying C compiler with a frontend to type in the Code.
Around the year 1992 all these programs have disappeared. They were replaced by dedicated C++ IDEs because of the upraising of the Windows 3.1 operating system. The question was not how to program in C but the question was how to build GUI applications with a graphical editor, a help system, a debugger and some sort of compiler which includes make files.
The only non IDE C compiler is GCC which can be utilized with different text editors. GCC is a standalone C compiler which is focussed on the C language instead of the programming workflow. Most endusers belief that the C language has felt out of fashion because they are no products available around this language. If all the major software companies have replaced C with C++ then it is wise to assume that Ansi-C has become outdated.
The underlying question is if it makes sense to bundle a programming language with a certain Text editor. The resulting tool is a complex high price product which can't be shipped on 2 floppy discs but will need many CD ROMs and an enormous amount of manuals. It is not about the C++ language itself, but about the code completion, GUI designer, GUI libraries and so on. At least in the public perception the C++ has replaced the former Ansi c language since the year 1992. The new programming paradigm was called object orientation and the C++ language was a natural choice for doing so.