Earlier this year, the ISO and ANSI C++ standards committee unanimously approved and ratified the C++ standard, thus completing the standardization effort started in 1989.

The language itself has evolved significantly since its first commercial release in 1985. New features and the addition of the Standard Template Library (STL) make it a safer, more efficient language. C++ proponents also claim that the language now presents higher-level abstractions that make it easier to learn and use. [An ISO press release nicely summarizes the standardization effort and the impact of the standard.]

For a comprehensive view of the language, its design objectives and functionality, refer to the works of Bjarne Stroustrup. The creator of C++ is also its most articulate and inspired advocate.

Critics, however, point out that C++ is as complex and dangerous as ever. See recent TechNetCast interviews with Allen Holub and Bruce Eckel for contrasting opinions.

"For my application area (Scientific Computing) the changes to C++ from ARM to ISO have been mostly useless." (User Feedback)