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You are granted a free temporary Microsoft Developer License by VisualStudio during first-time startup . “You now have a developer license and can develop apps or Windows 8 until it expires. You'll need to renew your license before it expires to contine developing apps”.
The free online Windows 8 application generator ZipApp - Create & build apps for Windows 8 generates a Visual Studio project of a Windows 8 app written in Javascript, for you.
You need to renew your “Developer license” for your Visual Studio IDE, regularly. The free developer license lasts 30 days and can be renewed again and again.
A Win8 App created with a developer license may just be used for the duration of the granted license, on the developer PC. The free developer license lasts 30 days and can be renewed again and again.
If you want´to upload and distribute Win8 Apps by the Win8 Apps store, you need a special commercial license ( Upload license = $100/year ).
Windows 8 Apps are stored in the folder “C:\Progam Files\WindowsApps” .
Windows .appx files are in .zip format .
HTML5/Javascript apps are really stored in source code files.
The file “appxmanifest.xml” may be loaded with Visual Studio and is displayed in a special mode.
Testing of Windows 8 Phone Apps with the supplied Windows phone emulator requires a Windows with integrated Hyperee, i.e. Windows 8 or newer with activated Hypervee server.
However:
Windows 7 is not suitable. Windows 7 is not based on Hypervee.
With Windows 8 / Windows 8.1 on many 32-bit computers, the required Hypervee server feature is not available.
In opposite, the Windows 8.1 simulator for Windows 8 App does not require Hypervee and runs properly on any 32bit or 64bit Windows 8.1 computer .