What's the best way to get started learning how to write an extremely simple multithreaded c++ program that includes mutex and semaphore use?

Question

What package should I use and what would a "hello world"-level program look like?

Answer 1

Try C++: Concurrency in Action

Chapter 1. Introduction is freely available in that website, and IIRC that includes a multi-threaded "Hello, World!". C++0x introduces std::thread, the standardized way of using threads in C++, and this book uses that.

Answer 2

I recommend the book: Multithreading Applications in Win32: The Complete Guide to Threads

It covers the simplest scenarios first.

Answer 3

Try implementing a solution for one of the classic Dijkstra's problems for concurrency, such as the "Dining Philosophers", or the producer/consumer problem, etc.