After watching Microsoft cast AMD's 64-bit processor line to the backwoods of the Windows release cycle, you have to ask - did Jerry Sanders do enough? Two weeks ago Microsoft dropped a bomb. It pushed the first Windows Server 2003 Service Pack back to the second half of 2004. And along with the Service Pack go new versions of Windows for both AMD's Opteron (Windows Server 2003) and Athlon 64 processors (Windows XP). This places the Windows for AMD64 release close to nine months behind original expectations, adding risks to an already risky proposition from AMD.

You would think AMD deserves better treatment than this. The company's Chairman, Jerry Sanders, went to some lengths to get Microsoft on board the 64-bit train. Sanders agreed to testify on Microsoft's behalf in the antitrust trial, hoping, in part, that Bill Gates would consider going public about support for AMD's 64-bit chips. This was surely a bitter pill to swallow for a man always crashing against the Wintel collective.

But Sanders' efforts did not go far enough. Microsoft is dragging AMD along like a rag doll for its own convenience. "Microsoft wouldn't inherently have to (keep the Service Pack and OS releases) together, but it's much easier for them to keep things aligned like this," said Gordon Haff, analyst at Illuminata. "And especially with their supposed increased focus on product quality with things like Trustworthy Computing, they're unlikely to shift schedules around willy-nilly."

View: The full story
News source: The Reg

What's New in This Release:

· Bugfix: Buddy List window will now remember it's previous size when you dock it.
· Bugfix: MyIM will read your preferences before the buddy list is resized to determine how you want it shown. (prevents all toolbars and buttons from being nuked until you manually refresh it)
· Added: Ability to hide/show the Buddy List menu, and/or the Online and List Setup tabs.
· Added: Mouseover effects for MyIM and CloneIM buttons. Redesigned CloneIM button.
· Added: Resized ComboBox on Sign On window, so more than 3 names show at once.
· Added: MyIM now creates an entry in the Add/Remove Programs, and can be reinstalled/uninstalled from there.
· Various other bugfixes


There are 10 additional comments
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Quote this comment Reply to this comment #1 Posted by Gary_Player on 04 Nov 2003 - 10:48
ouch...kinda harsh...

Why not just do what they always do? Release it eary and just keep the patches commin

Nothing finds bugs better than a million hungry consumers just itching for their new OS
(3 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #2 Posted by pHuzi0n on 04 Nov 2003 - 11:22
Would I like to see Windows supporting x86-64: sure. Is it needed to use any of AMD's x86-64 chips: nope. AMD's plan all along was supposedly to create a chip that would bridge the conversion to 64-bit cpu's, so why do they care if MS supports them right away or not. Everything fits into their plan of phasing in 64-bit chips. They can run in 32-bit mode for the time being, then once MS gets its s**t together, people will be able to start the conversion. "Hammers" are kick-a** chips even without 64-bit instructions.
Quote this comment #2.1 Posted by longwilli on 04 Nov 2003 - 13:51
take up will be slow and people will be unwilling without the 64bit os to pay more for the chip fx takeup will be little short of 0 if people cant take advantage of it's real features
Quote this comment #2.2 Posted by alister on 04 Nov 2003 - 14:35
Not true. I always buy my hardware thinking of future technology. I was looking for motherboards with new technology (USB 2.0, SATA, ect..) before there was even hardware out to take advantage of it. I will buy this CPU before the OS is ready because I then I will know that when the OS comes out I will be ready

Alister
Quote this comment #2.3 Posted by longwilli on 04 Nov 2003 - 14:51
yep as do i. but do enough people?
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #3 Posted by Grappa on 04 Nov 2003 - 16:50
Did anyone notice how close together Intel's announcement that Prescott has 64-bit extensions and the Windows Athlon 64 extensions OS pushback came? I don't mean to sound paranoid, but if MS suddenly announced they had changed their minds and were working on an Intel 64-bit Windows I wouldn't be surprised. That's just the kind of crap they'd pull...

G
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #4 Posted by raid517 on 04 Nov 2003 - 19:38
Mmm... yeah I know some peeps will accuse me of paranoia too, but the world of business is full of these dirty tricks. It seems possible to me that now MS have got what they wanted with AMD testifying on their behalf in court, the old alliance will now be revived in order to sink all possible competators to the Wintell global syndicate.

In any case its very bad news. It comes at a time when AMD are already in deep trouble. Something like this could go a long way towards finally sinking them.

Q

Last edited by 13486 on 04 Nov 2003 - 20:36
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #5 Posted by raid517 on 04 Nov 2003 - 19:42
On a side note, does anybody know if Longhorn will be 64bit? Also when will we see Hammer mobos with PCI express?

Q
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #6 Posted by hardgiant on 04 Nov 2003 - 20:00
They should put a little less focus on Longhorn which won't be available til 2006 and start focusing on the present and CPU's that are available now.

Thank god there is a beta floating around, this is BS from Microsoft.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #7 Posted by CrimandEvil on 04 Nov 2003 - 22:19
Hey can't MS just include 64bit in with XP SP2?
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