IT Forum 2004: Bill Gates drops strong hints on 64-bit Windows for the desktop

 

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By Alun Williams, Copenhagen

Posted on 16 Nov 2004 at 11:07

Bill Gates has revealed something of Microsoft's plans for the roll out of 64-bit Windows for the desktop in his keynote speech at the IT Forum 2004 in Copenhagen.

Promising that 64-bit computing would arrive by the middle of 2005, Gates addressed the delivery of 64-bit Windows for desktops. He declared that 'testing is in final stages' and revealed that work on the new MSN beta desktop search - Microsoft's answer to Google - was developed using such 64-bit Windows XP systems.

There has long been a Windows Server 2003 for 64-Bit Itanium-based Systems (based on Intel's EPIC architecture), a trial version of x86-based 64-bit Windows Server 2003 has also already been released.

He also said that 64-bit version of Windows would be 'totally compatible' with existing 32-bit environments, referring to the common underlying x86 architecture involved.

Finally, Gates said users should not pay a premium in price for 64-bit computing.