WE SAW versions of Microsoft's X86-64 operating system running on AMD chips at CeBIT in March, despite naysayers who wouldn't have it that such a creature existed. But now we have absolute confirmation that there is an X86-64 version of Windows for the Hammer platform and rather suitably Microsoft has codenamed it Anvil.
Sources tell us that Clyde Rodriguez,a lead program manager, Windows, Forrest Foltz, a Windows architect, and Dave Cutler, who has the impressive monikor of a senior distinguished engineer at Microsoft, are set to talk about Anvil on April 8th at a specialist conference on the Vole's campus. The source added that Microsoft is describing Anvil as bringing 64-bit computing to the masses, a phrase that will make Intel cross when it reads this article.
Anvil will run on both Opteron and Athlon64 chips and, the sources added, Microsoft is billing it as causing a big adoption of PC 64-bit computing because these chips will run 32-bit and 64-bit code natively. Microsoft will discuss at the talk the goals and release plans for Anvil and its roadmap for 64-bit Windows, the architectural features of the OS and chip(s), and porting, testing and debugging for developers and testers.
The Vole is telling developers that an AMD 64 system behaves just like a 32-bit PC. Apps can address only 4GB of memory in 32 bit mode, but 16 terabytes (TB) when Anvil is installed. Microsoft is claiming that Anvil will still execute 32-bit apps with "excellent performance and compatibility".
News source: The Inq
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