As for Linux box vs Windows with console app's vs ?? (vs08?) well:
If Linux it wont be a "Linux box" rather virtual PC Linux =p, as for the console apps for windows, erm.. mind link some ?, and last, what is the alternative (also please try to keep in mind that I have yet to have done all of this so I'm not familiar with everything, although classes, member functions, data abstraction's implications are known to me )


And in regards to the amazon check list:
1) C Programming Language (2nd Edition)
2) The C++ Programming Language: Special Edition (3rd Edition)
3) Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ (size dos NOT scare me, seriously I farmed for hand of rag solo (with 1 char) pre-bc, that's 5700gold obtained in 15g\hour, you think 1200 pages or 5000 pages scare me? ._. oh and I also accomplished the above in a month, so dedication (or madness) is also available in large quantity, the only difference is that back then I knew exactly what I was doing and whats the steps I need to take, IRL is a red quest if I may use wow reference, the difference is that just getting the quest's text is a quest for itself, and then when you find out, it makes legendary weapon farming looks like walk in the park, the good part is that the reword is just that much bigger =p

I just hit 200 played days with my main, and done two things: multiply 4800 by 5$ to see how much money I could have made as babysitter if I done that instead of wow, second.. I just imagined for a second how would my life look if i invested that much time (say 80% of it) in programing and say the other 20% in the gym ._. like Google\Intel\Microsoft employ+Arnold in one .. gif? so while I cant change the past, (And I also, don't really want to), I can chose (or try to) how the future is going to look, and well, its going to be epic

And I also wish to thank all of you for helping me out with this red quest my work is far from over but now I can see the road.

(My mind works with "sights" every thing that I think of brings and image, a well detailed one aswell, I could probably spend days writing about it witch i just saw but a light edition of it would be:
I see an image in my mind of a man standing on a cleft witch is also a clearing in a giant forest that lays in a valley surrounded by mountains, and that man can see near the horizon a glowing light that illuminates the great destination)
I am that man, the forest mountains and valley represents the many different ways things can end up with, and many temptations that I might discover along the way as well as the different danger that I might come across at the jungle(witch is life), and I am going to just "dive in" the valley\forest and start my long journey, for high school (and mandatory service at the army) ware just the sneak preview of it witch you all call life

FUN! :thumbsup: Cant wait to get started (so lets finalize that Amazon shop list )