So I'm trying to learn about making Windows store apps, as I have a game that I made with older technology that might be a good fit.

At home, I have Windows 8.1 and can run VS express 2013 'for Windows'. The problem is that at home, family commitments make it hard to concentrate on programming.

At work I sometimes have some time to really concentrate, but we just moved to Windows 7 and will likely stay here for 10 more years. At work I must use the 'for Windows Desktop' version.

My first app created with the DirectX xaml template on my Windows 8 computer will not load on my Windows 7 computer. I can look at the individual files, but it's kind of hard to learn new technology that way.

What I would like to do is maybe work on two projects, one at home that will allow me to learn exactly what makes an Windows store app different from any other app, and the other project with graphics and game logic that can be developed on my Windows 7 computer. Then at the end, I could merge them together somehow and make a Windows Store app out of a regular app.

Does anyone know more about what features in 'for Windows' that cannot be use with 'for Windows Desktop'. Are all solutions and projects incompatible among the different versions? What would you do if you were forced to work on a Windows 7 computer for much of the time, and you wanted to make an app for the Windows Store?

At work I sometimes have some time to really concentrate, but we just moved to Windows 7 and will likely stay here for 10 more years. At work I must use the 'for Windows Desktop' version.

Be aware that your employer likely owns anything you do on their equipment or while consuming their resources (office space, heating and A/C, electricity, internet connection, coffee machine, etc.) and they might not take kindly to you even trying to learn about non-work-related things. You're likely better off sticking to using your home machine and working on some better time management and time structuring techniques. I found it useful to work on personal stuff in coffee shops and the like, personally, back when I worked on things simple enough that I could deal without having an array of monitors.

Yeah, that could be an issue. I'm not a programmer by trade, though. Where others might surf the web or play windows solitaire during slow times, I prefer to do other more enjoyable things if I am going to be sitting in front of a computer all day anyway. To be honest, I'm not sure about all the legal issues that could come up. Do I have to surf the web during down times? Maybe I do!

edit: doh, you were talking about a technical solution and explicitly not about a legal one. I fail at reading comprehension.

No, problem. You bring up an important angle to these questions. There are several reasons why I'm not worried about it.

Without getting too personal over the internet, my job has nothing to do with any kind of intellectual property. I'm just a blue collar worker guy, who happens to have a job where it is Ok to surf the web when my responsibilities are taken care of. I could see problems if I was working at a game company and trying to make my own games, that would be rather awkward, though I would hope my employer would take this view of things. :) I also have a good relationship with my supervisors and I can't imagine them throwing me under the bus if I did some successful side project that didn't impact what was expected of me.

Secondly, I have a very bad track record on getting projects finished and released. It's unlikely that anything will come of this that would be worthy to claim ownership of. If Windows 8 and Windows phones and tablets become a raging success and I end up as the next Minecraft or Angry Birds guy, maybe I'd have some legal problem to address, but if the alternative is to retire in my dead end job having spent my life web surfing, should I bend the rules a bit? Hells yeah. Being the next Minecraft guy sounds like a great problem to have! That of course, is ridiculously hypothetical.

Maybe it's time to buy a new laptop. Of course, I can't just leave something like that in the car...