C++ really confused?? msdn, sdl, api ext......?

I am a beginner c++ programmer. Only have been working in console mode but would like to move onto win32 or win64 apllications and eventually games. When i search on the net for C++ tutorials i get terms like sdl, msdn. api and i have know idea what they mean. Also i downloaded a sdl library for dev-c++ and linked it. is the sdl library a standerd or are there other versions. does it work with opengl or directx. If possible i don't want to program using the .net framework. It's a ok for nissness applications but not games because you need mor control over the GUI. I don't know where to start when it comes to win32 programming? any help would be appreciated?

C++ really confused?? msdn, sdl, api ext......?
Well, its good that you want to enter the complex world of graphics programing. Welcome to real business :)





To start you first need to brush your skills with drawing simple graphics and moving them around the screen. You can start with simple things first, say pure C in a DOS based environment and create simple graphics, move them around and create complex shapes with simple objects like rectangles and polygons.





When you get a good grip on that you can start using the win32 model. For that you can get some books first, on Windows graphics API. MSDN (Microsoft Developers Network) is a good resource for getting most information about Microsoft platforms. No need to get into .NET if you feel you dont need it.





The topic of graphics programing is rather complex to be discussed here but there are plenty of books in the market to get you going...





Happy Programing.





PS, do send me a copy of your first game :)
Reply:If you are a newbie then you should first learn assembly, which is relatively simple, and then move on to C++ which is more complicated.
Reply:Win32, OpenGL, SDL, DirectX are APIs. You use an API with


a programming language to create graphics. To create GUI apps, I use Java or VB.net, I don't bother with win32 but that's just me personally. There is a good win32 tutorial here.


http://www.winprog.org/tutorial/