want to learn C++... needs guidance

[CornedBee]

C++ is always good to know. Notice: C++ is a language while VC++ (6, 7 and .NET) is a development environment (IDE). What you learn with VC++6 won't be outdated. The windows programming class library MFC may be outdated, replaced by the .NET common library, but neither C++ itself nor the windows API will be outdated.

What is "system programming"? C++ is a very mighty language, and you can about everything you'll ever want to do (except writing OS startup code maybe). C++ programming can be nearly as abstract as VB (if you use the RAD tools of C++ Builder), or it can be extremely system-near (if you use DJGPP to create a DOS game). The strong part about C++ is that it is platform-independent (as long as you don't use system-dependent API like the WinAPI). If you have code that uses nothing but the standard library you can take it, compile it on a windows computer and on a linux computer and it will work.

[parksie]

That assumes that both compilers do the same thing

Since C++ is a relatively young language, not all compilers are up to sync with the standard yet, which causes many problems.

[sail3005]

c++ is used to develop almost all commercial apps

[CornedBee]

yeah, keda and I can sing songs of that, parksie. I recently managed to get my MSVC6 cl.exe to create a general protection fault with a piece of code that compiles ok in his MSVC7

Nevertheless, those parts in what they differ are not the part you usually learn until you have a really good knowledge of the other things. So, if you start learning C++ now on MSVC6 you won't miss anything.

[sail3005]

Download the platform SDK too if you will be doing windows developing.

i think there is a link to it in the faq