Microsoft's Visual C++ version 6 product is feature-laden, and Visual C++ 6: The Complete Reference covers nearly every nuance of every feature. For novices, it provides quick-start guides to using the Visual C++ compiler and Integrated Development Environment (IDE). For more experienced developers, the book covers advanced topics such as complex C++ objects, COM objects and ActiveX software technology. It also discusses Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), Active Template Library (ATL) and Visual C++ 6's new debugging features. The authors supply a wealth of source code to illustrate their points, but you might find the explanations of the code fragments and program listings a bit terse as you try to understand how they work.