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I was reinstalling an old version of MSVC++ to try some things, and I saw two different versions:

What's the difference between:

Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows Desktop with Update 5

and

Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows with Update 5

I thought for Windows == for Windows Desktop + something else (for Windows Phone?)

i.e. for Windows would be the bigger one. But it's not:

... for Windows DVD 2.9 GB ... for Windows Desktop DVD 3.3 GB

What is the difference between Visual Studio Express "for Windows" and "for Windows Desktop"?

Note: Here is the download link for Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows Desktop with Update 5.

Martijn Pieters
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Basj
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1 Answers1

6

Windows Desktop = old classic Win32 C++, C# WinForms and WPF programs, while Windows is only the newer store apps for (phone) 8.x.

Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows Desktop enables the creation of desktop apps in C#, Visual Basic, and C++, and supports Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Forms, and Win32.

VISUAL STUDIO 2013 EXPRESS FOR WINDOWS (STORE) The tools include a full-featured code editor, a powerful debugger, a focused profiler, and rich language support that you can use to build apps that you write in HTML5/JavaScript, C++, C#, or Visual Basic. Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows also includes tools for Windows Phone 8.0 development and Windows Phone emulators that you can use to test how your Windows Phone apps will run on different devices.

So, install the Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows Desktop.

magicandre1981
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    Thank you for your answer. By the way, what a strange naming! `Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows provides the core tools that are required to build compelling, innovative apps for Windows Store and Windows Phone. Windows 8.1 is required to install Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows. ` – Basj Feb 02 '18 at 14:55
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    yeah, that is Microsoft. their naming is confusing. Btw, there is also the Community Edition for 2013 which includes all tool and is a Pro but usable for free in small teams: https://my.visualstudio.com/Downloads?q=visual%20studio%202013&wt.mc_id=o~msft~vscom~older-downloads – magicandre1981 Feb 02 '18 at 14:59
  • Hehe that's right @magicandre1981. I like MSVC++ compiler but really their naming... [MSVS2013 is 12.0 etc. is a bit lol](https://stackoverflow.com/a/39686240/1422096) – Basj Feb 02 '18 at 15:01
  • Note for later: the right filename is `en_visual_studio_express_2013_for_windows_desktop_with_update_5_x86_dvd_6815504.iso`. – Basj Mar 19 '19 at 18:33
  • I'm now trying to differentiate "Visual Studio Code" and "Visual Studio Desktop Express". I think "Code" is just a code editor whereas the "Express" product line targets building applications. This link may help others who come here with similar problems differentiating the products in this line-up: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/ – NeilG Nov 17 '22 at 07:27
  • VS code = cross platform coding editor for Windows, Linux and Mac. – magicandre1981 Nov 17 '22 at 08:43