C / C++ / MFC

case IDM_ABOUT:
     DialogBox(hInst, <code>(LPCTSTR)</code>IDD_ABOUTBOX, hWnd, (DLGPROC)About);
     break;

case IDM_ABOUT:
     DialogBox(hInst, (LPCTSTR)IDD_ABOUTBOX, hWnd, (DLGPROC)About);
     break;
case IDM_EXIT:
     DestroyWindow(hWnd);
     break;
case ID_FILE_TEST:
     DialogBox(hInst, IDD_ABOUTBOX, hWnd, (DLGPROC)About);
     break;

d:\work\nomfc\nomfc.c(158) : warning C4047: 'function' : 'const char *' differs in levels of indirection from 'const int '
d:\work\nomfc\nomfc.c(158) : warning C4024: 'DialogBoxParamA' : different types for formal and actual parameter 2

 Ask yourself, what do you hope to accomplish? If you are collaborating with others on a project, what you use will be restricted by what the others you work with can and do use. If you are working solo, you will have many more options. MFC is useful, in that it provides a (somewhat) consistant framework, and Visual Studio provides many wizards to help you... but this is most useful when the application you are writing falls into one of the categories Microsoft wrote MFC to be used for. If you need to throw something together in a hurry, C++ Builder, or even VB can be a better choice.

 It does get easier, and somewhat faster. I've been using MFC for almost two years now, with no prior Windows programming experience, and still learning constantly. In hindsite, MFC would have been a lot easier to learn if i had been comfortable with the Win32 API prior to learning it; however, if i had been comfortable with the Win32 API, i prolly wouldn't have bothered. One of MFC's biggest advantages is that it often hides the ugly and inconsistent API; but this is also its biggest problem. Some of the hacks used to mask the differences between Windows and MFC are not exactly clear to beginners. The rest of MFC: database stuff, serialization, debugging, etc... can usually be done without. If you already use STL, you won't need to use the CMap, CArray, etc. classes for instance.

 Wow, this is getting long... sorry . I guess my best advice would be, make sure you really need to use MFC before you jump in and start learning it. If you don't learn it now, but need to use it at some point in the future, it won't be hard to pick up. Just treat it like a geriatric family member: full of information, but much of it out-dated, incorrect, or forgotten. Respect it, but beware of senility.