When learning new languages such as C++ from PHP, does reading other language snippets help you understand better by giving one a different prospective, or does doing so confuse a noob like me? Also, any advice on learning C++ would be great.
I find that reading short snippets helps a lot. A good book is really handy too. Once you understand most of the language itself, reading large, full-size programs helps a lot with learning how common problems are solved in that language. Most languages don't have a term for this, but it is like the "Pythonic" way in Python.
As for learning C++, first get a good understanding of C. C is quite simple, so it shouldn't take that long. Once you know C, start learning about the C++ specific features one at a time. This way, you can still write useful programs (C is mostly a subset of C++), before you learn the real "C++ic" way.