C++

A language in the CPL branch of the Algol family of programming languages, C++ is basically AT&T C with the object-oriented features of Simula. While you can compile and run C programs in an C++ environment and some C++ compilers are actually just C compilers with a pre-processor, C++ is in fact a very distinct language to C that by design uses mostly the same syntax.

C++ was first implemented as a rudimentary pre-processor for C in 1979 and was then known simply as C with Classes, the name was changed to C84 in 1983 and when people realised that it would clash with the naming convention for the ANSI C formal standard process that had already begun it was changed again to C++ in 1985.

A list of OS/2 implementations of C++

• Borland C/C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Glockenspiel C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• GNU GCC C/C++ Compiler and Linker - Open Source - Current
  • GCC/2 - Open Source - Discontinued
  • EMX Compiler - Open Source - Discontinued
  • Innotek GCC - Open Source - Discontinued
• IBM C Set++ for OS/2 - Commercial - Discontinued
• IBM VisualAge C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Metaware High C/C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Microway NDP C/C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• OpenWatcom C/C++ - Open Source - Current
• JPI TopSpeed C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• VZCorp VZ Programmer - Commercial - Discontinued
• Watcom C/C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Zortech C++ - Commercial - Discontinued

Interpreters

• Cint - Open source - Current - Interpreter from CERN, intended for educational use

OS/2 C++ libraries and class libraries

If the compiler you use supports both C and C++, you can use C libraries with your C++ programs and vise versa, however using C++ libraries from C can be a bit kludgey and require you to write bindings, while using C libraries with C++ is less problematic it can also require you to write some interfaces, take a look at the C page for available C libraries.

GUI class libraries

• Liant C++/Views - Multi-platform app framework/GUI library - Commercial - Discontinued
• ObjectPM - Presentation Manager classes - Commercial - Discontinued
• OpenZinc (formerly Zinc) - Multi-platform UI library - Originally commercial, now open source - Current
• StarDivision StarView - Commercial - Discontinued
• V C++ GUI Framework - Multi-platform - Open source - Discontinued

Database and file management

• C/Database Toolchest - Library for database creation and maintenance - Commercial - Current
• CdBFile - For reading/writing .dbf/xBase files - Open Source - Discontinued
• CThrough - Graphics class library - Commercial - Discontinued.
• dbfLIB++ - A tool that allows you to work with xBase databases - Commercial - Discontinued
• e_Comm - Communications and networking - Commercial - Discontinued
• e_Db - Database engine - Commercial - Discontinued
• e_Fs - Virtual file system - Commercial - Discontinued
• Kroni's Classes - Class library with sundry PM functions - PostcardWare - Discontinued
• Net.h++ - Networking and comms - Commercial - Discontinued
• The Open Objects Library (OOL) - Originally freeware, now open source - Discontinued
• Socket++ - Networking library - Open Source - Discontinued
• Threads.h++ - Multi-threading - Commercial - Discontinued
• Tools.h++ - Foundation classes - Commercial - Discontinued
• WebM libvpx - VP8/VP9 streaming video - Open Source - Current
• ZGRAF - Graphing library - Commercial - Current

Data compression

• LZ4 - Compression library - Open source - Current
• Snappy - Compression library - Open Source - Current
• Zipios++ - Compression class lib. - Open Source - Current

Foreign libraries with C++ bindings

• LibcURL - Internet URL (WWW, FTP, etc) access - Open Source - Current
• Simple Directmedia Layer - Multimedia - Open Source - Current
• shwild - Wildcard pattern matching - Open Source - Current

GUI and application generators with C++ output

• Hockware VisPro/C++ - GUI Creator - Commercial - Discontinued
• JBA Guidelines - GUI/Database/Application creator - Commercial - Discontinued
• Professor Owl - Open Source - Discontinued - For Borland OWL only
• Vestronix Pro C - Database and spreadsheet application generator - Commercial - Discontinued

Translators that generate C++ output

• Oracle Pro C - SQL > C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Tower Eiffel - Can optionally generate C++ instead of native output - Commercial - Discontinued

Workframes and or IDE's

• CommonPoint - Commercial - Discontinued
• Object WorkBench - Shareware - Discontinued

Code verifiers, beautifiers, visualisers and other C++ source code utilities

• CC-Rider C++ - Commercial - Discontinued - Static analyser, beautifier and visualiser
• Exuberant ctags - Creates index files out of C++ source files - Open source - Current
• PC-Lint - Commercial - Discontinued
• SourceLink - Commercial - Discontinued - Browser/Editor/Visualiser

Applications with a C++ programming interface

• PostgreSQL - SQL relational database system - Open source

OS/2 text & programmers editors with C++ support

• Boxer - C++ support included by default - Commercial - Discontinued
• BRIEF - C++ support included by default - Commercial - Discontinued
• Elvis - C++ syntax support included by default - Open source - Current
• Enhanced Editor - Has C++ syntax highlighting built in, auto-formatting and automatic code summary as a separate download.
• FTE - Has support for syntax highlighting, code folding and syntax-aware autoindent.
• Future Wave Editor - C++ syntax support included by default - Shareware
• jEdit - Java based - Open source - Current
• LPEX - Commercial - OS/2 version discontinued
• Lugaru Epsilon - C++ syntax highlighting, code folding and syntax-aware autoindent - Commercial
• NEdit - XFree86 - Autoindent, autocomplete and syntax highlighting
• Preditor/2 - C++ template with syntax highlighting - Commercial - Discontinued
• SourceLink - Commercial - Discontinued - Browser/Editor/Visualiser

A list of DOS implementations of C++

• Borland C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Borland Turbo C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Cint - Open source - Current - Interpreter from CERN, intended for educational use
• EMX Compiler - Open Source - Discontinued
• Metaware High C/C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Microsoft C/C++ 7.0 - Commercial - Discontinued
• OpenWatcom C/C++ - Open Source - Current
• Salford Software C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• TopSpeed C++ - Commercial - Discontinued
• Digital Mars C/C++, Symantec C++, Zortech C++ - Commercial

DOS libraries and class libraries

• C/Database Toolchest - Library for database creation and maintenance - Commercial - Current.
• CdBFile - For reading/writing .dbf/xBase files - Open Source - Discontinued.
• e_Db - Databse engine - Commercial - Discontinued.
• ZGRAF - Graphing library - Commercial - Current

DOS text & programmers editors with C++ support

• Boxer - C++ support included by default - Commercial - Discontinued
• BRIEF - Commercial - Discontinued
• Elvis - C++ syntax support included by default - Open source - Current
• FTE - Has support for syntax highlighting, code folding and syntax-aware autoindent.

A list of C++ implementations that run under WinOS/2

• TopSpeed C++ - Commercial - Discontinued - Cross compilation from DOS or OS/2 only

WinOS/2 compatible libraries and class libraries

• C/Database Toolchest - Library for database creation and maintenance - Commercial - Current - Note that the correct library for Win16b development is called the DOS library (but contains Win 16b libs as well) and not the Windows one.
• Net.h++ - Networking and comms - Commercial - Discontinued.
• Tools.h++ - Foundation classes - Commercial - Discontinued.
• V C++ GUI Framework - Multi-platform - Open source - Discontinued

Publications

• Bjarne Stroustrup: The C++ Programming Language (4th edition) - 1368 pages - 2013 - In print - ISBN 0321958322

More or less the standard text for learning C++, requires some prior programming knowledge, preferably C.

• Bjarne Stroustrup: The C++ Programming Language (2nd edition) - 720 pages - 1990 - Out of print - ISBN 0201539926

An older version of the same book, again not for beginners but at half the size of the current version this is in some ways a better read for those that are using vintage compilers such as VisualAge C++.

• Margaret A. Ellis & Bjarne Stroustrup: The Annotated C++ Reference Manual - 457 pages - 1990 - In print - ISBN 0201514591

In some ways better than the other Stroustrup works as a reference book, the explanations of some of the rules are much clearer. Not a tutorial, not for beginners.

• David R. Tribble: Incompatibilities Between ISO C and ISO C++ - Old but highly useful document for those wanting to port C code to C++

Tutorials and other learning material

• EDM/2 has its own C++ tutorial written by Terry Norton:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

• MIX Software has a number of video courses available that focus on teaching C++, both for the beginner and tackles more advanced topics as well, note that these are delivered in proper old school VHS cassette format.
• The author of C++, Bjarne Stroustrup has a lot of introductionary material on his homepage

Links

• The A-Z of Programming Languages: C++ - An interview with Bjarne Stroustrup - From Computerworld.

USENET

• comp.lang.c++.moderated - Moderated C++ discussion group - Go to the Google groups version if your ISP does not offer USENET access or you are in any other way newsgroup challenged.

Frequently Asked Question lists (FAQ's)

• The "Super" FAQ - By Marshall Cline, Bjarne Stroustrup, Herb Sutter and Andrei Alexandresc.
• The "Lite" C++ FAQ - By Marshall Cline, the original FAQ from 1991.
• Available C++ Libraries FAQ - A huge list of C++ class libraries, for all platforms but a tad outdated.
• Alternative C++ FAQ - From Cprogramming.com.

Standards

Apart from the original AT&T documents there appear to be no sources of free C++ standards texts, not even pre-publication or beta editions.

• Initially all C++ compilers and/or pre-processors were based on the original Bjarne Stroustrup pamphlets published by AT&T as C++ Reference Manual, Data Abstraction in C and C++ Tutorial.
• ISO/IEC 14882:1998 - Aka C++98, the first formal standard, largely written by Stroustrup himself.
• ISO/IEC 14882:2003 - Aka C++03 - Also has a "C++ Technical Report 1" with clarifications and errata or ISO/IEC TR 19768:2007, that is sometimes referred to as C++07.
• ISO/IEC 14882:2011 - Aka C++11
• N3690 (working draft) - Aka C++14 - Had not been finalised in early 2015.
• According to the working group a new standard is scheduled to be introduced in 2017, so presumably C++17.