basic string scope in std namespace

[ryanmills]

I think I need to get my head wrapped around strings better first. I thought I had a grasp on what * was used for. But I am seeing it used in contexts I don't understand. I can see now why people pick python over C, but I really want to get a handle on this.

Example that I get:

a = '6';
b = &a;  // points to the mem address
c = *b; 
cout << c; // should return 6

But then I see this for example, does this mean its passing a reference?

int main(int argc, char* argv[])

Also when you say "expecting a (non-const) char*" do you mean the function is expecting a pointer and not the real content. Such as my example, its expecting the var c not a?