Qt vs WinAPI what does Qt lose, so it can be more easy?

[vchavauty]

I am into learning some GUI API in C++, so I searched a lot to see which one was best. I ended up with either Qt or WinAPI. I read some people saying that Qt was easier to work with but with WinAPI you could control everything. The argument proceeded and someone said that it was a fair exchange, a small piece of control so it could become easier. Now I want to know, what exactly are you losing when you chose Qt? Is it the interaction with the system? What exactly can you do in WinAPI that you cannot do in Qt?

[wysota]

I ended up with either Qt or WinAPI. I read some people saying that Qt was easier to work with but with WinAPI you could control everything. The argument proceeded and someone said that it was a fair exchange, a small piece of control so it could become easier. Now I want to know, what exactly are you losing when you chose Qt? Is it the interaction with the system? What exactly can you do in WinAPI that you cannot do in Qt?

It's not that you are losing anything vital. You can use most WinAPI calls with Qt, however indeed some strange sophisticated combinations are difficult to obtain. If you are after "learning some GUI API" then Qt will be much more than sufficient.

[john_god]

Now I want to know, what exactly are you losing when you chose Qt?

With Qt I don't know what you're losing, but with winAPI you may be losing you're mental sanity :)

Do you have any ideia how hard is to learn coding only using WinAPI ?
If you want to build a house, Qt will provide you pre build doors, windows, and walls. If you go with WinAPI you'll have to build everything yourself, bricks and screws included. Good luck with that. In the end, all comes down to your level of expertise and the type of apps you're trying to build. Oh, and with WinAPI, forget about cross plataform.

[wysota]

If you go with WinAPI you'll have to build everything yourself, bricks and screws included. Good luck with that.
And the hammer costs few thousand USD ;)