> I really see no good reason not to use the MS compiler, especially if its
> faster. Now for another dumb question. Does it matter which version of
> MSVC I use? i.e. Standard, Pro, Enterprise...

AFAIK, yes. You need at least professional to get the "optimizing compiler".
OTOH you'd need at least professional to be able to redistribute your
binaries. :-)

> I always wanted an excuse to learn C++, this is probably as good a reason
> as any. ;-)

I think that we'll see parts of IB migrate into C++ in a couple of years.
Type safety, more logical "units", easier maintenance (for an example of a
cross-platform C++ project that works *really* good, I'd suggest a look at
AbiWord). But until that's a fact of life, I think you'll have to accept the
C code that is IB. :-)

/Mike