A Comparison of C++ and Java

This month's presentation will explore some of the language differences between C++ and Java by examining a small application that was written in both programming languages.

C++ and Java are similar in many ways.  This is, of course, due to the fact that Java was modeled after C++.  However, the designers of Java intentionally omitted C++ language features, such as pointers and overloaded operators, that were considered dangerous and complex.

Some of the language differences that will be highlighted with this application are:

• Class mechanism syntax
• Memory allocation/deallocation
• Exception handling
• Output to stdout

The application is a command-line program that calculates the wind chill factor based on ambient air temperature and wind speed.  The National Weather Service uses the following formula to calculate the wind chill factor:

where:

• wc is the wind chill factor
• t is the ambient air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit
• w is the wind speed in miles per hour

have been used as well.  More information regarding wind chill factor can be found at http://www.nws.noaa.gov.