I'm starting to develop an app using MFC. I have a few questions
regarding compatibility and runtimes....

1) does everyone normally have the runtimes necessary to
run an MFC app or do they have to be included with the program
like vb programs ? If so, will statically linking MFC solve this
problem?
2) If i create an MFC app with VC++5, will users having a newer
mfc*.dll have any problems?
3) Are there any other downsides to using MFC as opposed to
using pure Win32 API?

The bottom line is I do'nt want to create any application that
will require me shipping runtimes. I believe I'm passed the
stage of infancy where VB is the route to go (instead of the need
for quick and dirty apps or a quick DB app) and I'm familiar enough
with C++ to port my vb programs to win32 C++.

Thanks for any help.