C++ Books

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Bjarne Stroustrup on the Evolution of Languages

by Howard Dierking

Every once in a while, an evolutionary leap rapidly advances and reshapes the entire field of engineering. Such a leap occurred in software development with the introduction of the C++ programming language. This leap was not inherent in the language itself: object-oriented languages such as Simula67 and Smalltalk existed prior to C++. But because C++ was built on top of the C programming language (and could compile existing C programs), it was able to bring the abstractions of object-oriented thinking into the mainstream.
C++ has inspired a great deal of thought surrounding software design and development, from design patterns to meta-programming. And because of its portability among hardware platforms and its lower-level expressiveness, C++ will assuredly be essential in a world of faster, smaller hardware.
I recently had the pleasure of talking to Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++, about a host of topics, from his thoughts on languages to general industry trends to his own personal reading list. Many of the questions asked were suggested by readers via my blog, so thanks to everyone who contributed questions. And of course, thanks to Bjarne. Continue to the interview ...