FOR many years, C++ was the de-facto language of
choice in introductory CS courses, due largely to its support for object-oriented programming, as
well as its wide adoptance in industy. However, because C++ is arguably the most complex language
ever to be widely-used, Java which also supports object-oriented programming, has
recently emerged as the preferred introductory language. Nonetheless, demand for C++ skill is
still high in industry, and most universities require C++ programming at some point in the Computer
Science curriculum. Although Java and C++ look similar, programming in C++ is somewhat
more challenging, and filled with subtle details. While there are many books that
thoroughly describe C++ (see the bibliography), the vast majority exceed 1,000 pages, and for
the most part are written for either experienced industry programmers or novices.
This book is designed as a quick start guide for students who are knowledgeable in an
object-oriented language (most likely Java) who would like to learn C++. Throughout the text,
we compare and contrast Java and C++, and show C++ substitutes for Java equivalents. We do
not describe in detail basic concepts (such as inheritance) that are common in C++; rather we
describe how the concepts are implemented in C++. This helps achieve one of the important
goals of this book, which is to keep the page count reasonably low. Consequently this book is
not appropriate for students with limited or no prior programming experience.
