Bill Laing, a General Manager in the Microsoft Windows Server Division, has been quoted as saying that Windows Server 2008 will be the last 32-bit operating system. Bill is a server guy and indeed Windows Server 2008 is the last 32-bit server operating system – all future operating systems for server hardware from Microsoft beyond Windows Server 2008 will be 64-bit.
A few folks took Bill’s comments on Windows Server and applied them to Windows Client deriving that Windows Vista would be the last 32-bit operating system. That is an incorrect extension. While Windows Vista includes both 32-bit and 64-bit and there is a growing community of drivers for 64-bit Windows Vista we have not decided when Windows Client will follow Windows Server and become 64-bit only.
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News source: Windows Vista Blog
A few folks took Bill’s comments on Windows Server and applied them to Windows Client deriving that Windows Vista would be the last 32-bit operating system. That is an incorrect extension. While Windows Vista includes both 32-bit and 64-bit and there is a growing community of drivers for 64-bit Windows Vista we have not decided when Windows Client will follow Windows Server and become 64-bit only.
View: Full Story News source: Windows Vista Blog
I was looking forward to windows going x64 only, it's fun, you never quite now when I driver error will pop-up.
it will be x86 - all current versions of windows are. people call it x64, which is wrong. the versions should be called x86-32 and x86-64
it will be x86 - all current versions of windows are. people call it x64, which is wrong. the versions should be called x86-32 and x86-64
wrong... there actually are versions of windows which are TRUE 64-bit platform only.
sigh
Don't you mean, "Damn, computer companies, LEARN TO FREAKIN UPGRADE your DRIVERS."
If there are enough users out there that are willing to send some dollars Microsoft's way for an OS upgrade in the future, you can be sure that Microsoft will take it from them and hand them a 32-bit version of their software.
It currently costs 35$ CDN to get a 64 bit AM2 Sempron. I'm sure there are some nice budget boards out there for them, too.
Thats because they announced that Windows "Server" 2008 will be last 32-bit Server OS from Microsoft. There was no mention or announcement at WinHEC whether Vista will be the last "desktop/client" 32-bit OS.
Server is different from Client.
I'm building a PC at the end of this year, quite a good PC and I'd like for it to run a 64bit OS, but I'm worried it'll be a headache getting certain pieces of hardware that support 64bit, such as card readers and TV cards =/
The server family IS moving toward 64bit only already. For example, Exchange 2007 is 64-bit only (production), 32-bit versions are ONLY available for testing purposes.
Oh, sure: If you wanna limit yourself to just under 4GB of RAM, go 32-bit for your servers.
The rest of us who run with 64-bit servers will continue to enjoy the option to slot 16+ GB of RAM.
Because we can.
Or.... you could be like Apple and act like it didn't even happen! Oh SNAP!
(just playin, but flame me if you must)
;-)
Once an item is off the market, good drivers are no longer a valuable selling point; if anything, they can use the lack of them to try and force customers to upgrade. Look at how nVidia doesn't want to offer chipset drivers for anything older than the nForce 4.
That's what's killing x86-64 OS adoption.
I have a very reasonable Athlon X2 system, which rates well over 4 on the Vista Experience doohickey. But if I want to go for the 64-bit version, and get the same degree of compatibility I have with Win2000 (judging from my Vista RC experience), I'd have to replace a TV card (made in 2002), and a SCSI card (made in 1997). That's another $80 or more (depending what exactly I buy) on top of the price of the OS, and assuming (which I was unable to do at RC time) the sound drivers work properly.
So I say out with the 32 and in with the 64.
So I say out with the 32 and in with the 64.
You do realize that Windows doesn't actually use ALL the memory it sucks up, right? It reserves it incase it needs it, but will release it if necessary.
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