This book—the 6th edition of Programming Windows—is a guide to writing
applications that run under Microsoft Windows 8.
To use this book, you’ll need a computer running Windows 8, on which you can
install the Windows 8 development tools and software development kit (SDK), most
conveniently in the form of the free download of Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012
for Windows 8. That download is accessible from the Windows 8 developer portal:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/windows/apps
To install Visual Studio, follow the "Downloads for developers" link on that page and
then the “Download the tools and SDK” link on the following page. This page also
provides information on obtaining a Windows 8 developer account that lets you upload
new applications to the Windows Store.