Windows programming: where to start?

[George P]

Nowadays nobody (ok somebody's going to say they do here to confirm the rule...) uses WIN32 to create an application.

Well, then I guess I'm nobody 'cuz I still use on occasion the Desktop model of the WinAPI to create apps.

Apps for my own use, not for commercial purposes. I'm not a professional programmer, just a self-taught hobbyist. Prone to make lots of stupid mistakes.