In this article, we will outline a few of the C programming differences such as C v/s C++, Static Memory Allocation v/s Dynamic Memory Allocation, Algorithm v/s Flowchart, Entry Control Loop v/s Exit Control Loop, and Library Function v/s User Defined Function.
Table of Content
Difference between C v/s C++
| C | C++ |
| Dennis Ritchie developed C. | Bjarne Stroustrup developed C++. |
| Unlike other languages, C is procedural. | C++ is an object oriented language. |
| C uses structure. | The C++ language uses classes. |
| The language C is a middle level one. | C++ is a high level language. |
| Function overloading is not possible in C. | C++ allows you to overload functions. |
| C uses a top down approach. | It is bottom up in C++. |
| Templates are not provided. | A template is available. |
| Malloc allocates memory. | Using new allocates memory. |
| It is free that deallocates memory. | Delete deallocates memory. |
| It is not possible to overload operators in C. | It is possible to overload operators in C++. |
| The data is not secure. | The data is secure. |
| C applications are fast at run time. | C++ applications are slower to run rather than C. |
| During the initialization of the program, all variables must be defined. | In C++, you can declare variables anywhere. |
| Modules and functions are the building blocks of C programs. | Classes and functions are the building blocks of C++ programs. |
| .c is the extension for the C program file. | The extension of a C++ program file is .cpp. |
| This is a structured programming language. | This is an object oriented programming language. |
| It does not have an inline function. | There is an inline function. |
| You can’t handle exceptions with it. | In addition, it supports exception handling. |
| To input and output data, it uses the scanf() and printf() functions. | For standard input and output, it uses cin << and cout >>. |
Static Memory Allocation v/s Dynamic Memory Allocation
| Static Memory Allocation | Dynamic Memory Allocation |
| During execution, no memory is allocated or deallocated. | The allocation or deallocation of memory occurs during execution. |
| Execution times are faster than in dynamic memory. | A slower execution speed than static memory. |
| There is a need for more memory space. | It takes up less memory space. |
| Allocate memory at compile time. | Memory allocation during runtime. |
| This is a fixed memory, so we cannot increase or decrease its size. | The size of memory is not constant, so we can increase or decrease it as needed. |
| A less efficient method. | This is a more efficient method. |
| For managing static memory, it makes use of a stack. | For managing dynamic memory allocations, it uses a heap. |
| Static memory allocations do not allow reusing memory. | In dynamic memory allocation, memory is reusable and can be freed when not needed. |
| The static allocation of memory is easy to implement. | Dynamic memory allocation is not easy to implement. |
| It is better to allocate static memory to an array. | The link list is preferable to dynamic memory allocation. |
Algorithm v/s Flowchart
| Algorithm | Flowchart |
| Here is the step by step process. | Presented in a pictorial form. |
| It is easy to debug errors. | Errors are hard to debug. |
| To create it, there is no hard and fast rule. | You should have some rules to create it. |
| It’s easy to edit a process in order to make it better. | Editing is difficult in the middle of the process. |
| The process is less time consuming. | The process takes more time. |
| It uses plain text for the algorithm. | There are symbols or shapes in a flowchart. |
| Algorithms are hard to build. | It is easy to create a flowchart. |
| You can see the solution in a language similar to English. | Graphs are used to illustrate the solution. |
Entry Control Loop v/s Exit Control Loop
| Entry Control Loop | Exit Control Loop |
| The test condition is checked first, and then the loop body will be executed. | A loop body will be executed first, and then the condition will be checked. |
| It will not execute the loop body when the test condition is false. | Assuming the test condition is false, the loop body will execute once. |
| An example of an entry controlled loop is a for loop and a while loop. | The exit controlled loop is the do while loop. |
| The condition evaluation takes place before the execution loop body. | This is used when one needs to run the loop body at least once before condition evaluation. |
Library Function v/s User Define Function
| Library Function | User Define Function |
| A library function is a predefined function. | User defined functions are the function that is created by the user as per his/her own requirements. |
| It is not possible to change the name of a library function. | You can change the function name at any time when using a user defined function. |
| For Example: sin, cos, power | For Example: fibo, mergeme |
| We don’t need to write a code for the library function. | When the user defines a function, we have to write code for it. |
| Library functions are part of the header file. | But, user define functions are part of the program. |
| There is no knowledge of how library functions work. | Users understand how functions work because they create them. |
| It is hard for the user to modify these functions. | Users can change these functions. |