A++ stands for abstraction plus reference plus synthesis which is used as a name for the minimalistic programming language that is built on ARS. Created by Dr. Marcus Barry.

ARS is an abstraction from the Lambda Calculus, taking its three basic operations, and giving them a more general meaning, thus providing a foundation for the three major programming paradigms: functional programming, object-oriented programming and imperative programming.

ARS Based Programming is used as a name for programming which consists mainly of applying patterns derived from ARS to programming in any language.

A++ was developed in 2002 with the purpose to serve as a learning instrument rather than as a programming language used to solve practical problems.

It is supposed to be an efficient tool to become familiar with the core of programming and with programming patterns that can be applied in other languages needed to face the real world.

A++, with its interpreter available in Scheme, Java, C, C++ and Python, offers an ideal environment for basic training in programming, enforcing rigorous confrontation with the essentials of programming languages.