1. Introducing C++

1.1 Some Remarks about Programming

Programming is a core activity in the process of performing tasks or solving problems with the aid of a computer. An idealised picture is:
COMPUTER

Unfortunately things are not (yet) that simple. In particular, the "specification" cannot be given to the computer using natural language. Moreover, it cannot (yet) just be a description of the problem or task, but has to contain information about how the problem is to be solved or the task is to be executed. Hence we need programming languages. Click here for a more detailed view of the problem solving pipeline.
There are many different programming languages, and many ways to classify them. For example, "high-level" programming languages are languages whose syntax is relatively close to natural language, whereas the syntax of "low-level" languages includes many technical references to the nuts and bolts (0's and 1's, etc.) of the computer. "Declarative" languages (as opposed to "imperative" or "procedural" languages) enable the programmer to minimise his or her account of how the computer is to solve a problem or produce a particular output. "Object-oriented languages" reflect a particular way of thinking about problems and tasks in terms of identifying and describing the behaviour of the relevant "objects". Smalltalk is an example of a pure object-oriented language. C++ includes facilities for object-oriented programming, as well as for more conventional procedural programming.
Proponents of different languages and styles of languages sometimes make extravagant claims. For example, it is sometimes claimed that (well written) object-oriented programs reflect the way in which humans think about solving problems. Judge for yourselves!