C++ FAQ Celebrating Twenty-One Years of the C++ FAQ!!!
(Click here for a personal note from Marshall Cline.)
Section 38:
38.1 Where can I download a free C++ compiler?
38.2 Where can I get more information on using MFC and Visual C++?
38.3 How do I display text in the status bar using MFC?
38.4 How can I decompile an executable program back into C++ source code?
38.5 Where can I get information about the C++ compiler from {Borland, IBM, Microsoft, Sun, etc.}?
38.6 What's the difference between C++ and Visual C++?
38.7 How do compilers use "over-allocation" to remember the number of elements in an allocated array?
38.8 How do compilers use an "associative array" to remember the number of elements in an allocated array?
38.9 If name mangling was standardized, could I link code compiled with compilers from different compiler vendors?
38.10 GNU C++ (g++) produces big executables for tiny programs; Why?
38.11 Is there a yacc-able C++ grammar?
38.12 What is C++ 1.2? 2.0? 2.1? 3.0?
38.13 Is it possible to convert C++ to C?
[38.12] What is C++ 1.2? 2.0? 2.1? 3.0?

These are not versions of the language, but rather versions of Cfront, which was the original C++ translator implemented by AT&T. It has become generally accepted to use these version numbers as if they were versions of the language itself.

Very roughly speaking, these are the major features:

  • 2.0 includes multiple/virtual inheritance and pure virtual functions
  • 2.1 includes semi-nested classes and delete[] pointerToArray
  • 3.0 includes fully-nested classes, templates and i++ vs. ++i
  • 4.0 will include exceptions