> for myself?  Did you guys/gals just read and with all the
 > knowledge try it all out?  Or did you guess/test/read and make
 > some cool small basic programs to make it a bit more fun?
    I can understand your frustration as I, too, am a learner.  I have seen 
no alternative to finding good books to study and unless you're lucky, 
finding those that will really help is expensive because you are likely to 
buy some that really show no teaching desire or expertise at all.
    I am finding Robert Lafore's _Object-Oriented Programming in C++ to be 
one which is quite obviously designed to bring the beginner along step by 
step as they ALL PROMISE to do.
    A second one I lucked up on in CompUSA as a discount book.  It is Michael 
Hyman's _Borland C++ for Dummies_ and has the virture that it sort of does 
what you suggested in your post.  It takes a Pizza ordering program and with 
a lot of wit and no-nonsense, pithy observations teaches the process from 
simple C through structures in C++ to Classes and finally linked lists.  I 
haven't really BEGUN the detailed study this offers due to other necessary 
distractions such as a wife in the hospital but it is there to digest and 
conquer.
    Finally, I invested in a Printice-Hall tutorial (also at CompUSA) which 
is all on a multimedia CD-ROM disk in Which Harvey and Paul Deitel give voice 
tutelage as you look at the programs.
    Occasionally, somebody with a good heart will post code on the C or C++ 
echoes that you can learn from.  Also, I am reading that Bob Stout is 
seriously at work tailoring the Snippets in C so that, like the Pascal 
AllSwags, the beginner can find not only blocks or modules of code for 
certain things but the testing code as well for showing how they are used.
    So things are looking up for me and I hope my listing of these suggested 
books may help you and others as well.  frankmas@juno.com should you wish to 
pursue any of this privately.
    Good luck to us both!!
                            Sincerely,
                                            Frank
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