On the whole, it's best to stick to C#. Most code samples are in C#. Keep a cheat sheet handy.

The C# compiler is at C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v...\csc.exe.

There are different technologies that Windows uses for GUI applications. WinForms is the old way. WPF is the new way. WinForms is simpler, and we'll go with that. Ref.

Here are the sample apps:

• Tray app that adds a system tray icon for the app