101 brilliant things of C++

It started as 'C with classes' and ended up on Mars. Discover the five core features that have fueled C++'s 30-year journey.

#1about 10 minutes

The origins and evolution of the C++ language

C++ originated as "C with classes" at Bell Labs and evolved into an ISO-standardized language with a three-year release cycle.

#2about 7 minutes

C++ availability, ecosystem, and backwards compatibility

The longevity of C++ has resulted in wide compiler availability, a vast ecosystem of libraries, and strong backwards compatibility for long-term projects.

#3about 8 minutes

Balancing high-level abstraction with low-level control

C++ provides the flexibility to work with high-level abstractions like streams or drop down to low-level hardware control like direct register manipulation.

#4about 5 minutes

The role and limitations of static type safety

Static type safety prevents unintended operations between different types at compile time, though it inherits some unsafe implicit conversions from C.

#5about 7 minutes

Writing reusable code with generic programming and templates

Generic programming, implemented via templates, allows for writing algorithms and data structures like the STL that are independent of specific data types.

#6about 5 minutes

Using destructors for deterministic resource management

The deterministic nature of destructors enables the RAII pattern, ensuring resources like locks are automatically released when an object goes out of scope.