C++ is one of the most used Programming language in Electronic Engineering. C++ is a general-purpose programming language created by Bjarne Stroustrup of Denmark as an extension of the C programming language.
C++ was designed with an orientation toward system programming and embedded, resource-constrained software and large systems, with performance, efficiency, and flexibility of use as its design highlights.
We are going to look at some of the amazing things you can do with C++.
- OPERATING SYSTEMS (OS)
An Operating System (OS) is an interface between a computer user and computer hardware. C++ is one of the preferred language to develop Operating systems. Some of the Operating Systems developed with C/C++ include Blackberry OS, Mac OS (some parts), Windows OS (some part), Linux (some parts).
If you are interested in developing operating systems of your own, C++ is one of the best programming Language to pick up.
- COMPILERS
A compiler is a program that converts instructions into a machine-code or lower-level form so that they can be read and executed by a computer. C++ is one of the best language to develop compilers because of its close communications with the hardware.
- ROBOTICS
One of the philosophy of C++ is that there should be no language beneath C++ (except Assembly Language). This ability to program very close to the hardware makes C++ a wonderful choice in Robotics. Another implementation is the use in Arduino boards (an Open-source electronic prototyping platform enabling users to create interactive electronic objects). Arduino boards enable users to create Electronic objects (Robots, small computing devices etc.) using C/C++.
If you are interested in Electronics projects, get an Arduino starter kit on Amazon
- GAMES
C++ is heavily used in Game Development and also in making Game Engines. The most Popular Game Engines Unreal and Unity are written in C++. Further, the Unreal Game Engine uses C++ for game development.
C++ is chosen for games for its performance and speed. Some of the games written in C++ include Absolver, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Fallout 4, Call of Duty and many others too numerous to mention.
- EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
An embedded system is a microprocessor-based computer hardware system with software that is designed to perform a dedicated function, either as an independent system or as a part of a large system. Embedded systems are commonly found in consumer, industrial, automotive, home appliances, medical, telecommunication, commercial and military applications.
C++ is used to program embedded systems to communicate with the hardware of the aforementioned.
- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND MACHINE LEARNING
C++ is one of the common languages used in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. There are a lot of machine learning libraries for C++ available e.g. MLPack Library, Shark ML, Horovod etc.
- MOBILE APPLICATIONS
C++ can also be used to develop Mobile applications. You can use a platform like Qt to develop C++ powered applications. There are also cross platform tools available in Visual Studio that can be used to make C++ powered mobile applications.
- GRAPHIC SOFTWARE
There are many powerful software available written with C++. Some of the most common are Graphics applications. Adobe Inc which makes graphic software such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Fireworks, Premiere Pro, AfterEffects and many others have written their software in C++.
- BROWSERS
A Browser is a computer program with a graphical user interface for displaying and navigating between web pages. You are using one right now to read this article and browse through the internet. Most of these powerful piece of Software have been written in C++. Examples include Chromium, Opera, Firefox, Yendex etc.
- DESKTOP APPLICATIONS
These are too numerous to mention. A few are OBS, MTorrent, Internet Download Manager, Unity build, Adobe Flash, Google Chrome, Shazam, Sublime Text, Earth3D, etc,
This shows you the scale of coverage of C++. There is so much I have left out in this article. Other fields where C++ is used include; Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Telecommunication Systems, Control Systems, Predictive maintenance etc. The sky is the limit to what you can do when you master this language.
