The Benifits of C and C++

The Benifits of C and C++

By ghost | 4267 Reads |

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 Hello all, im QRebound, strong whitehat supporter, and C++ programmer for 5 years.  This is my first article on the internet, and i chose to contribute it to Hellbound hackers, as its a site devoted to one of my favorite subjects, Hacking.  Hope you enjoy, and it influences and benifits your overall computer experience.

-Why C and C++ are good languages to learn from the Computer Security Analysts viewpoint:

 Im going to assume that you all know what C/C++ are at the fundemental level, and are familiar with the concept of programming languages in general.  


 There are 4 key aspects to the C++ language that make it the prime choice when choosing a programming language.  The difference between a high level and a low level language, and where C++ falls in that is the, in my opinion, most profound of these.  From this, stems the other 3.  Its flexibility, its power, and its speed, each of which contribute to a larger whole.  This larger whole tends to be well balanced for rapid prototyping, extremely powerful, and highly optimised code to perform almost any task 

imaginable.

 First, Let us establish what a high level and a low level programming language.  Assembly is the lowest level programming language.  It deals directly with the hardware, moving information between CPU registers, performing the most basic of mathmatical operations, and making basic decisions.  Higher level languages, like Visual basic, tend to fall into an archetype of \"Drag and drop\" and \"fill in the blank\" languages that have the computer do much of the work for you.  C and C++ lay smack dab in the middle of these two, providing the key points of each.  C++ lets you interact enough with the hardware that you have extreme control, but also enough high level elements to let you rapidly develop your code without having to worry about registers, the stack, and other low level features.


 From this first property stems three other extremely benificial properties, the first of which is its immense flexibility.  With C++ in particular, you can develop code that can adapt itself to many situations.  The basic statements can be combined into deeper and deeper levels of complexity that all interact and provide an adaptability that is almost unprecedented.


 Secondly, C and C++ are extremely powerful languages.  By powerful, i mean that almost any task imagineable is accomplished through its flexibility, and it can attack the same problem from many different angles.  Its basic feature set is expandable, providing you the opportunity to design your weapons to break down your problem.  With this level of power, combined with the flexibility, it seems that it is already the choice.  Yet to blow any competition out of the water, there is a final feature.


 When problems require more and more complex ways to find the solution, speed becomes an issue.  For example, recovering a windows password through a dictionary attack.  You must be able to run the code that checks each word against the password blazingly fast, so that you are not waiting around for months for it to crack a password.  C and C++ offer you this, in that most compilers optimize your code for you as they break it down into assembly.  If this werent enough, they both provide a feature set where you can insert direct assembly into your program, and optimize it yourself to the very maximum efficiency, shaving off thoe last few milliseconds.


 With these core advantages, it is obvious that C and C++ are languages that most DEFINATELY must be investigated by any computer expert, and for anyone serious are strongly advised to be learned and used in solving day to day problems that require power, flexibility, and speed.

-QRebound