Metro vs WPF for Windows 8 development?

Question

I'm trying to get my head around the future of development for Windows 8. My understanding is that developing Metro apps will mean they are strictly Windows 8 only.

But there are technologies out there, see How to build a Metro App in WPF, which means WPF could be used to make something have that Metro look and feel.

So am I right in understanding that a WPF app could be developed - and run on Windows 7 - but also run on Windows 8? If only Metro apps can be run from the new Start screen in Windows 8, does that mean traditional style apps can still be run through the desktop mode?

Thanks

Solution

“Normal” Windows applications can still run fine in Desktop mode. In fact, if you have such an application it will likely just run the same as it does on Windows 7 and you don't really need to feel pressured to create a Windows Store app (formerly known as Metro).

The question you linked to talks about something entirely else, though. It's for creating applications like Zune or the Github Windows client in WPF. They have a certain aesthetic that is Metro-like but they're not actually Windows Store apps. You cannot use WPF for creating the latter, although most key concepts are similar or identical.