Node.js in itself is a wrapper around V8, the JavaScript engine of Google Chrome. It is used to execute JavaScript on the server for example to implement REST APIs. I would consider Node.js if you implement actual webbased software because you could take advantage of a shared codebase. If you want to display content on the internet there are more comfortable alternatives you could use.

What you are probably looking for is Node-Webkit. It is a toolkit to basically pack a stand alone application with a browser and node.js to create a desktop application.

I personally would recommend to use QT or GTK or some Windows framework if you want to learn how to program a desktop application. No need to deal with the performance problems of web technology and then ship a whole browser with your app if you have to learn something new anyway. In my opinion you should use Node-Webkit only if you know why you use it or if you do not know how to use anything else.