Important news about Windows '7': 32-bit to live on
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(InfoWorld) - Forget the "7" code name, which was already out there, or the 2010 release date, which was also neither new nor -- based on Microsoft's lately abysmal record with hitting major release dates -- exactly set in stone. The most concrete news to come out of Microsoft's well-executed leak of a few sparse details about the next version of Windows is that it will continue to come in both 32- and 64-bit editions. That will cause many Windows users, primarily businesses, to sigh with relief. PC vendors and large software makers, who see more-powerful 64-bit PCs as key to driving demand for both hardware and software in an increasingly Web-centric world, are likely to have a very different reaction. Bits of the solution The number of bits determines how large the chunks of data a component of the PC can process, which determines how much data it can handle and ultimately howÂ  fast it can perform. For instance, '80s-era PCs with hybrid 8/16-bit architectures were limited to a maximum of 64KB of RAM. In contrast, a modern PC running a 32-bit version of Windows XP can utilize up to 4GB of RAM. Meanwhile, 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Vista can support up to 128GB of physical RAM and 16TB of almost-as-fast virtual memory. Combined, the two techniques can offer steep performance boosts for software ported from 32-bit to 64-bit. And they enable software such as database-driven or multimedia applicationsÂ  that were formerly infeasible on 32-bit PCs. Since 2004, 64-bit processors for desktop PCs have been available from Advanced Micro Devices and Intel. Microsoft followed, releasing 64-bit versions of XP and Windows Server 2003 in the middle of the following year. But while 64-bit server adoption roars along, the process has been much slower on the desktop side. 32-bit software and drivers can be buggy or demonstrate scant performance improvement in 64-bit environments. Those problems can arise even if users are simply moving from 32- to 64-bit editions of the same version of Windows, such as XP. When under-the-hood changes don't result in better performance, customers will be happy tweaking what they already have. For instance, during Microsoft's quarterly financial forecast last week, the company lowered its year-ahead forecast for Vista shipments vs. XP, from 85 percent/15 percent to 78 percent/22 percent. From 16 to 32, a smooth move The last time around, Microsoft was gentle in moving users from 16-bit to 32-bit, taking a decade to complete the transition. Starting with 1990's Windows 3.0 and finishing with 2000's Windows ME, Microsoft released five versions of Windows supporting both 16-bit and 32-bit. In comparison, Windows 7 will be only the third Windows version, after 64-bit XP's arrival in 2005, to sport dual 32/64-bit compatibility. Apple has a similar hybrid strategy. Its upcoming Mac OS X 10.5, a.k.a. "Leopard," is a true 64-bit environment that will ostensibly also offer full compatibility with 32-bit applications on, for instance, older PowerPC-based Mac hardware. Companies, especially those running esoteric or in-house-written applications, will be the happiest to hear that Windows 7 will still support 32-bit software, since it will allow them to avoid expensive rewrites if they decide to upgrade. It will also be welcomed by Microsoft salespeople, systems integrators, and value-added resellers, who will have more options to offer cost-conscious customers. PC makers and big independent software vendors who may have hoped that Microsoft would push customers harder to 64-bit will be the least happy. 64-bit enables developers to add features and let desktop applications run much faster. Those are much-needed differentiators, now that users are taking serious looks at software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications such as Google Office. Similarly, because SaaS applications' performance is more dependent upon the Web site's architecture and the user's broadband link, they don't require ultrapowerful PCs. That could remove the need for users to upgrade -- hurting the PC market, or so fear vendors.
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If you're putting Vista on a PC yourself, you need to read this.
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By Doug Stanley, Tampa Tribune, Fla.  Feb. 5--If you're still weighing whether to upgrade that Windows XP computer to Windows Vista, there's no hurry.   Windows XP will continue to be a viable operating system for years to come.
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With an absence of fanfare, but otherwise on schedule, Microsoft opened up its download page for Service Pack 2 of Windows Server 2003, both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. Perhaps most importantly, enterprises won't have to wait until Longhorn to be able to utilize Windows Deployment Services, the company's new image-based system for pre-composed, remote Windows installations.
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The OSx86 Scene forum is offering full instructions on how to install the newest Mac OS on Windows PCs.
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See screenshots of the Ultimate version of the new, visually sleek Microsoft operating system before you make the upgrade leap. By Bruce Gain.
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Windows XP users have until early next year to update business systems and applications before the operating system&#39;s Service Pack (SP) 2 is fully unleashed.
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Windows XP users interested in trying out the release candidate of Service Pack 3 for the operating system should be able to download the software later today. Be forewarned, it weighs in at 580MB.
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Tycho:  It's floating around now, out there on the Wub, and it calls to you.  Or maybe it does, I don't actually know.  In any case, it can be got from 3D Downloads, the Fileplanets, GamersHell, or WorthDownloading.  Download it from mulltiple sites simultaneously for a naughty thrill.  God only knows how this would run on my Vista rig at home, but it's a Vista rig, so you can probably guess.  (CW)TB
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This morning, BetaNews FileForum was alerted to the availability of the latest release candidate for Windows Vista Service Pack 1, just released from Microsoft.
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Microsoft will support only x86 processors with 64-bit extensions when it releases a special version of Windows Server for high-performance computing next year, leaving support for Intel&#39;s Itanium 2 chip to a later, unspecified date.
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Plus: Microsoft to release three versions of Xbox 2. [News.com Extra]
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Security: We've heard of it A small minority of users - as few as one in 20 - is running fully-patched Windows PCs.â¦
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The software giant&#39;s much anticipated security-laden upgrade for the Windows XP operating system is finally available for installation.
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Microsoft vows to release the next version of Windows by the end of 2006 - but  without some key components.
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The new Windows operating system is worth the upgrade. Here's why.
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Microsoft is in a throw-it-off-the-train state of mind these days in regard to its Windows operating system features. It&#39;s announced that Longhorn will ship by 2006 -- but without its much-ballyhooed WinFS subsystem.