Should I learn GDI or GDI+?

[Kuzco]

Hi there.
I want to learn how to create windows GUI, so I've started reading Programming Windows 5th edition by Charles Petzold.
I could not find a newer book and it's kind of 11 years old...

Now that I've read some chapters I see that he is using something called GDI to draw stuff, but wikipedia sais GDI was deprecated in favor for GDI+.

Should I just skip the GDI chapters and find a book on GDI+ or would I know how to use GDI+ if I learn GDI?

[Bazzy]

You may want to give a look to msdn:
GDI+ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms533798%28VS.85%29.aspx
GDI http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd145203%28VS.85%29.aspx
GDI+ is C++ based, GDI is in C

[Kuzco]

From your links:

GDI+: Microsoft Windows GDI+ is a class-based API for C/C++ programmers
GDI: This API is designed for use by C/C++ programmers

Both GDI and GDI+ is for both C and C++

[Bazzy]

GDI+ uses classes: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms533958%28VS.85%29.aspx

[Kuzco]

But if I read the chapters about GDI, would all that knowledge just be for nothing or would I be able to use that with GDI+?

[george135]

GDI+ can be used in C (GDI+ Flat apis)

[z05DSL3A]

But if I read the chapters about GDI, would all that knowledge just be for nothing or would I be able to use that with GDI+?

I don't think that reading the chapters about GDI would directly help with GDI+, but I wouldn't necessarily say that it would be worth skipping them.

Just to muddy the waters a bit more, with Windows 7 comes Direct2D
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd861344.aspx

[Kuzco]

That didn't really help...

What should I read about to learn creating windows applications? :)

[z05DSL3A]

Petzold followed by Richter*. You will then have a good foundation to go on and learn other technologies.

*Windows via C/C++