Do you need Win32\WinRT?

Question

C++ / C#

Hello. After learning the basics of C++ and reading a couple of books, I decided to start learning application programming for Windows. To begin with, I settled on the Win32 API, but recently I came across WinRT and, as I understand it, this is an improved Win32.
And, actually, questions:
What is the difference between WinRT and Win32?
Which one to study?
Are they needed at all? As I understand it, they are rarely necessary in work, but I would still like to understand at least remotely as the basics.

Answer 1

It is too early to write under WinRT (Metro / UWP), if only because the popularity of Windows 8 and above is low, and below it is not at all.
You need to write classic desktop applications that run at least on WinXP and higher.
WinRT is not the basis for them, it is stuck somewhere on the side as another platform.
But Win32 is, all frameworks (.NET, VCL, Qt...) are based on WinAPI.
But no one writes applications directly on WinAPI, it's too hard and long, the main part of the code is written on the framework (for Windows, C # and .NET are usually best), but those things that cannot be done on the framework are done on WinAPI.
Therefore, it is useful to study WinAPI, but it is really necessary to know exactly those of its functions for which there are no wrappers in the framework. And study them as needed: wrote a program - needed - googled - studied - inserted DllImport - applied - it works.
Although the same GUI or working with files or HTTP is also useful to study in parallel on .NET and on WinAPI, for knowing the basics, your question "who is based on whom" will also help clarify this.