An Introduction to GCC - for the GNU compilers gcc and g++ by Brian J. Gough, foreword by Richard M. Stallman Paperback (6"x9"), 144 pages ISBN 0954161793 RRP £12.95 ($19.95) "An excellent introduction... fills a much-needed niche in the marketplace" --- Association of C and C++ Users book review (Issue 16-4, August 2004) Get a printed copy>>>

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1.3 Programming in C and C++

C and C++ are languages that allow direct access to the computer's memory. Historically, they have been used for writing low-level systems software, and applications where high-performance or control over resource usage are critical. However, great care is required to ensure that memory is accessed correctly, to avoid corrupting other data-structures. This book describes techniques that will help in detecting potential errors during compilation, but the risk in using languages like C or C++ can never be eliminated.

In addition to C and C++ the GNU Project also provides other high-level languages, such as GNU Common Lisp (gcl), GNU Smalltalk (gst), the GNU Scheme extension language (guile) and the GNU Compiler for Java (gcj). These languages do not allow the user to access memory directly, eliminating the possibility of memory access errors. They are a safer alternative to C and C++ for many applications.