Win32 API or Win32 SDK?

Hopefully someone will be able to shed some light on this. A guy at work just asked me if I used the "Win32 SDK" for this little DOS console thing I just made up (which blatantly of course I didn't, so I was initially confused). Now, this didn't make sense to me so I asked what he meant and so I pointed to visual studio and said what sdk?

He then said, "that SDK" the win32 SDK.

I proceeded to think he must have meant the win32 API, as I've never in my time programming had to install a win32 SDK, seeing as it's part of visual studio and most other compilers. So I told him no, I didn't use the SDK, because you use the API for making windows programs, not the SDK itself.

Correct me if I'm wrong here? I've just always though of Win32 as an API and never really as an SDK (which I'd reserve for something like DirectX which gives you a ton of tools for working with DirectX applications).

Though then again, I suppose in a sense visual studio would be a win32 SDK because...it...has the form builder and MFC?

:confused: :confused:

i thought the Win32 API was part of the Platform SDK?


heres a list of things "documented in the Platform SDK"

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...atform_sdk.asp

I've never heard of Win32 SDK, and i wouldn't consider VC++ a win32 SDK, maybe MFC SDK, but then again im not a very smart person so idk