Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days

Getting Started 7

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fallen, these priorities have changed. Today, the cost of a programmer’s time far out-

weighs the cost of most of the computers in use by businesses. Well-written, easy-to-

maintain code is at a premium. Easy to maintain means that as requirements change for

what the program needs to do, the program can be extended and enhanced without great

expense.

The word programis used in two ways: to describe individual instructions

(or source code) created by the programmer, and to describe an entire piece

of executable software. This distinction can cause enormous confusion, so

this book tries to distinguish between the source code, on one hand, and

the executable, on the other.

NOTE

The Need for Solving Problems ........................................................................

The problems programmers are asked to solve today are totally different from the prob-

lems they were solving twenty years ago. In the 1980s, programs were created to manage

and process large amounts of raw data. The people writing the code and the people using

the program were computer professionals. Today, computers are in use by far more peo-

ple, and most know very little about how computers and programs really work.

Computers are tools used by people who are more interested in solving their business

problems than struggling with the computer.

Ironically, as programs are made easier for this new audience to use, the programs them-

selves become far more sophisticated and complex. Gone are the days when users typed

in cryptic commands at esoteric prompts, only to see a stream of raw data. Today’s pro-

grams use sophisticated “user-friendly interfaces” involving multiple windows, menus,

dialog boxes, and the myriad of metaphors with which we’ve all become familiar.

With the development of the Web, computers entered a new era of market penetration;

more people are using computers than ever before, and their expectations are very high.

The ease at which people can use the Web has also increased the expectations. It is not

uncommon for people to expect that programs take advantage of the Web and what it has

to offer.

In the past few years, applications have expanded to different devices as well. No longer

is a desktop PC the only serious target for applications. Rather, mobile phones, personal

digital assistants (PDAs), Tablet PCs, and other devices are valid targets for modern

applications.