Could I learn Visual C++ ? It''s Cross platform riiiite?? Ok. I have a VC++5 in 24 hrs. soo...

Keep in mind that VC++ is a compiler, not a language. The language is C++. It creates executables for Windows only, so, no, it''s not cross-platform. The language C++ is.

Points to consider :

- C++ is standardized and thus (theoretically) cross-platform.
- No implementation fully comply with the standard (e.g. the scope of for-loop variable is incorrect in VC).
- Beware of language extensions (e.g. ''fastcall'' ''cdecl'' or even conio.h), all the things marked ''microsoft specific''.
- Any use of the Windows API is (obviously) non-portable.
- You may want to get a portable, clean, working replacement for MS'' implementation of the STL (e.g. SGI''s or STLport.

And, unsurprisingly, "Note In this version of Visual C++, UNIX compatibility information has been removed from the function descriptions." (From MSDN on "UNIX Compatibility")

So take what you book teaches you with a grain of salt.