Intro To C++/First Program

Text Editor
C++ programs are initially created as a plain text files and saved with the file extension of "cpp". These can be done in any text editor.

Compilers
In order to execute C++ programs, a compiler is needed.

As one of the most popular compiled languages, C++ has a number of compilers to use for a number of different systems.

GNU/Linux
In GNU/Linux systems, a compiler is often shipped with your distribution by default.

You can check what kind of C++ is installed in the terminal with the following command. .

If no compiler is installed, GCC is typically available in a package manager.

MacOS
In the case of Macbook,for a beginners, you would want to install Xcode from the Apple app store and play around with that, which includes both a compiler and an editor.

Windows
For Windows application,the GNU C++ compiler could be easy under the terms of the General Public license (GPL). Part of GNU is "Minimalist GNU for windows"(http://www.mingw.org). You can launch the website, download compilers and install them.

Getting to know an IDE
IDE is an abbreviation for Integrated Development Environment and allows for programming in an easier fashion than a standard text-editor. An IDE is usually composed of a source code editor, build automation tools and a debugger. For beginners, they may or may not need all the features of a IDE. It is up to each developer on what they want to use and require. In C++, Code::Blocks (codeblocks.org), NetBeans (netbeans.org), Eclipse CDT (eclipse.org) are popular as a free IDE.

Through the command-line you can use the -o flag to compile to run a program without requiring an IDE. However, using an IDE can help a programmer with automatic formatting, easier debugging, highlighting along with many other features. Some development environments also can allow multiple programmers work together more efficiently and effectively.

Your first program
In a plain text editor or an IDE, you can copy the following code. Through an IDE or command line, if you compile and run the program, you should get the following result:

If we analyze the simple program shown above, it consists of preprocessor directive, comment, main function and single line statement. From the above program, each part is explained in detail in the following table: So congratulations on making your first program "Hello, enjoy fun!" run as an application!