That right there is why I never got significantly involved in C++ programming.
Thing is, Blitz doesn't need as much documentation. For example, the aforementioned fiddly dependencies (includes, libraries, aargh) are important setting menus in C++ but don't apply to Blitz. All the mountains of documentation for VC++ overwhelmed me when I first started programming, whereas Blitz was a joy to learn both because the documentation is clear and easy to follow, and because things are just fundamentally simpler to understand.
The best part of using MS programming tools is tons of documentation that comes with it and that is available for it. Products like Blitz3D, BMax, DBPro or IBPro just can't compare with MS Visual Studio Express offerings when it comes down to documenation.
Thing is, Blitz doesn't need as much documentation. For example, the aforementioned fiddly dependencies (includes, libraries, aargh) are important setting menus in C++ but don't apply to Blitz. All the mountains of documentation for VC++ overwhelmed me when I first started programming, whereas Blitz was a joy to learn both because the documentation is clear and easy to follow, and because things are just fundamentally simpler to understand.