Poll: Should Windows 9/Threshold be X64 only?

[Showan]

It is now 2014... So I absolutely say yes to this.

We should have been in a 64/128bit world by now.

But I also understand that there has to be some kind of legacy support for x86 apps/games.

But I also understand, this may also affect hardware sales.

We are in a age now, where 4-5 year old Multi-core pc's are able to hold up to today's apps/games. As long as the PC has the videocard & memory needed to handle the job. The CPU will hold up.

I personally have the OG i7 (920), that I built when the processor first came out. So basically my PC is around 5-1/2 yrs old and still able to handle today's apps/games. My graphics card being my weakest link.

[articuno1au]

Well, we have no need to move anywhere near 128bit, and whilst we can do it, it wouldn't be anywhere near as fast as 64bit given the technologies we have at our disposal, not to mention the enormous cost of doing so.

 

It doesn't matter whether you still buy 32 or 64 bit computers, there are so many out there that are still 32bit; the software support is just not there and won't be for the better part of a decade.

 

This conversation is beyond stupid, it's not possible even if we wanted to, and there is literally no reason to want to at this time.

 

Very few things the average person does will benefit from 64 bit support (beyond the fixing of idiosyncrasies in x86).

 

It is now 2014... So I absolutely say yes to this.

We should have been in a 64/128bit world by now.

But I also understand that there has to be some kind of legacy support for x86 apps/games.

But I also understand, this may also affect hardware sales.

We are in a age now, where 4-5 year old Multi-core pc's are able to hold up to today's apps/games. As long as the PC has the videocard & memory needed to handle the job. The CPU will hold up.

I personally have the OG i7 (920), that I built when the processor first came out. So basically my PC is around 5-1/2 yrs old and still able to handle today's apps/games. My graphics card being my weakest link.

So what? What has the generation of your equipment got to do with this?

 

Do you think that a brand new computer will be any more capable than your 920 at running 32 bit software if the WOW64 layer isn't there?

 

It helps if you actually understand what the computer and software is doing. We should absolutely be aiming to release everything in 64bit, but we are no where near doing it, and a ton of software will need to be rewritten or replaced before we can.

[Mugwump00]

OP needs to spend a week with this, to reflect in his own lunacy... :drool:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-ZX6000-Itanium-Workstation-A7857A-A9372A-HP-UX-11i-/380425129070?pt=COMP_EN_Servers&hash=item58931acc6e

[taim]

Valve dropped their release build of their 64-bit version of their engine because of instabilities, Google's Chrome tried 64-bit version a few times in canary and it's not until now that it makes it to beta. Going from 32-bit to 64-bit isn't a easy task.

[Hum]

It is now 2014... So I absolutely say yes to this.

We should have been in a 64/128bit world by now.

But I also understand that there has to be some kind of legacy support for x86 apps/games.

Amazes me how people think Windows 8.x is some great step forward, yet cling to 32-bit.

[TruckWEB]

When was the last 32bit only processor sold by Intel?  The old Atom maybe?

 

It's going to be a shock to move to 64bit only, like it was a shock to remove 16bit support.  But it's going to happen.  That's why we have virtual machine, to be able to run "other" software on older OS.

 

I say YES.  Lets move to pure 64bit.

[articuno1au]

When was the last 32bit only processor sold by Intel?  The old Atom maybe?

 

It's going to be a shock to move to 64bit only, like it was a shock to remove 16bit support.  But it's going to happen.  That's why we have virtual machine, to be able to run "other" software on older OS.

 

I say YES.  Lets move to pure 64bit.

Current gen Atom (whilst a 64bit chip) can't be installed as 64bit by OEMs as there are no drivers at all for 64bit.

 

Why require all the extra overhead of a VM when you can run WOW64?

 

Further, why is everyone talking about hardware. The issue is that without WOW64, 90-95% of the software out there stops working over night.

 

The fact that all of the computers only capable of running 32bit would be completely arsed is completely irrelevant given the above -_-

[theyarecomingforyou]

Should Windows 9 be 64bit only? Yes. Should it drop 32bit emulation? No.

[articuno1au]

Should Windows 9 be 64bit only? Yes. Should it drop 32bit emulation? No.

This I can get behind.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

This I can get behind.

 

Yep.

 

Dropping 32bit support would just be dumb.

[Tech085]

Yep.

 

Dropping 32bit support would just be dumb.

not dropping it would be dumber.

[Studio384]

When was the last 32bit only processor sold by Intel?

Probably less then a minute ago.

[sorlag]

I think you should clarify it in the title, as most voters don't read your comment and think you mean no 32bit edition...

But you mean, not able to run 32bit apps at all, which would be horrible.

[Mr. Dee]

Went to the dentist yesterday. While the assistant was doing a examination of my mouth using the dental software, I notice the same software was crashing, in addition to other custom apps they had on the system. While she went away to get that heavy straight jacket thing they put over you, I grabbed the wireless mouse and took a sneak peak properties. 64 bit Windows 7

 

I am sure if it is was 32 bit, these apps would not be unstable.

 

Also, if you say it should be 64 bit only, what about Microsoft Surface laptops running RT? Those are 32 bit only. There are many 64 bit systems that can't run 64 bit Windows 8.1 well, but they run 32 bit Windows 8.1 well.

[123456789A]

I think it's pretty sad that it is 2014 and Windows is only 64 bits. I had a 128 bits Sega Dreamcast in 1999. Surely Windows can catch up to an old console. I mean, Nintendo was doing 64 bits in the mid 90s.

[taim]

All pre built computers from HP, Dell and others come with 32-bit processes added running in the background, unless they stop doing this or move them to 64-bit we're going to have problems with a 64-bit only Windows.

 

Sega Dreamcast maybe 128 bits but Intel has processors with 512-bit instructions, so we're ahead of the Sega Dreamcast by a large margin.

[Mugwump00]

not dropping it would be dumber.

 

Most Windows user's Task Manager - Processes list will clarify who's 'dumber'.   WoW64 costs next-to nothing, does 99.9% of everything asked of it (I actually did find one, really crappy corporate app that didn't like it - just once!).

[(Account no longer active)]

64-bit, keeping 32-bit support.

 

It's too early to cut 32-bit support from my opinion. I'd start by forcing developers to build 64-bit apps for a few years first.

[+Zlip792 MVC]

Should Windows 9 be 64bit only? Yes. Should it drop 32bit emulation? No.

 

I will extend it to add that 32-bit should be sandboxed only then.

[xrobwx71]

I agree with a lot of comments above that it will leave a lot of things behind. Gaming being one of them. 32 bit will be around for a while longer. I still, for nostalgia sake, like to play COD 4. (it was the best one IMO) 

[ToneKnee]

Ditch the 32bit builds of Windows (for installing) and keep 64bit but with WOW64.  Server editions are already 64bit builds with WOW64.  If you have a computer that can run Windows 8.1 fine then it's most likely has a 64bit CPU even if a 32bit version of Windows is installed.

[neo1911]

Went to the dentist yesterday. While the assistant was doing a examination of my mouth using the dental software, I notice the same software was crashing, in addition to other custom apps they had on the system. While she went away to get that heavy straight jacket thing they put over you, I grabbed the wireless mouse and took a sneak peak properties. 64 bit Windows 7

 

I am sure if it is was 32 bit, these apps would not be unstable.

 

How do you know that 64 bit Windows was causing the problem? What if the software itself was buggy?

 

Also, if you say it should be 64 bit only, what about Microsoft Surface laptops running RT? Those are 32 bit only. There are many 64 bit systems that can't run 64 bit Windows 8.1 well, but they run 32 bit Windows 8.1 well.

Let them stay on Windows RT. No one is forcing them to upgrade. Anyways those laptops are already dead as Microsoft will concentrate more on X86-X64 architecture and not the ARM based RT tablets. Though RT is not dead yet, it is on it's way to obsolescence.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

not dropping it would be dumber.

 

...by not supporting the majority of the software currently available?  If Windows 9 came out...dropped support for 32bit programs it would be more of a failure than Windows 8 and Windows ME combined.  What is the point of having an operating system if you can not run programs?  

 

Releasing just only a 64bit version of Windows 9 I can agree on...but it has to support 32bit programs.  Eventually (maybe) programs will become 64bit only...then we can start talking about dropping Wow64.  This will happen eventually...but not around the time Windows 9 is released.

[Noir Angel]

No, I play a lot of games that aren't and won't be ported to native X64 builds. I'd like to see Windows go X64 only to encourage more developers to start writing native X64 apps but I'd like to see it retain the WOW64 layer

[Studio384]

Ditch the 32bit builds of Windows (for installing) and keep 64bit but with WOW64.  Server editions are already 64bit builds with WOW64.  If you have a computer that can run Windows 8.1 fine then it's most likely has a 64bit CPU even if a 32bit version of Windows is installed.

Not true, most Windows 8 based tablets are 32bit machines. Microsoft can't leave those behind, and they won't will either.