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At WinHEC 2005 (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference) Redmond has unveiled Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

'This is a time of profound change in our industry,' said Bill Gates, speaking at the Seattle conference. 'The move from 32-bit to 64-bit computing offers a dramatic improvement in performance and reliability, enabling people to use their PCs in exciting new ways at work and at home.'

The 64-bit versions of the operating systems will be able to run existing 32-bit apps as well as explicitly created 64-bit applications. This is because the underlying x64 platform is compatible with the older x86 architecture, which should simplify the transition from 32- to 64-bit computing.

'The introduction of Windows x64 editions, combined with a wide range of 64-bit applications and hardware, will help launch 64-bit computing into the mainstream,' Gates stated.

The only potential sticking point is drivers - the 64-bit Editions of Windows will require 64-bit versions of all the device drivers. Microsoft promises that a long campaign with vendors to create suitable new drivers has been successful and should not provide a major problem,

Note the omission of Windows XP Home Edition and Media Center Edition from the list, despite the suitability of 64-bit processing for multimedia tasks such as editing home video.

Speaking at an earlier briefing, however, Microsoft executives didn't rule out 64-bit versions of these Editions in the future.

The main advantages of 64-bit systems are twofold. First, by processing larger chunks of data, 64-bit environments are better suited to processor-intensive tasks such as handling 3D graphics. Second, a 64-bit system can support a wider address range - increasing addressable memory from 4GB to 16TB, which benefits data-heavy applications such

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as databases and business analysis programs.

Because virtual address space per process can increase, other more general benefits also come into play. In the context of web servers, for example, a 64-bit space can help avoid unnecessary recycling of processes. Processes that were being swapped out due to their rising consumption of memory resources may be able to settle at their equilibrium. Another example quoted by Microsoft executives was SSL (secure socket layer) processing, where a 50 per cent performance improvement was claimed for 64-bit systems.

Very generally speaking, many application swill be able to breathe more easily and run more efficiently in a 64-bit environment.

Those who can remember the transition from 16-bit to 32-bit computing may remember that virtual address spaces were used to address the hardware constraints of 16-bit systems. In current computing these outer limits have again been reached. No one should discount that the new limits won't themselves be reached within a few years as ever richer multimedia content becomes more prevalent.

Windows features not supported by the new Editions include Microsoft DOS, the OS/2 subsystem, the POSIX interface (portable operating system interface for Unix) and any other legacy 16-bit systems.

Special 64-bit versions of Windows Server have already been available for Intel's high-end Itanium Server. But whereas the new Editions are compatible with the traditional desktop x86 architecture, Intel's system uses a proprietary EPIC architecture (it was jointly developed with HP back in the early 1990s).

Both AMD and Intel are producing 64-bit processors to run such software. While AMD was quick to enter this field, Intel took a more cautious approach, saying that 64-bit chips would become more widely available when the software requirements made a case for it. With Microsoft's major announcement, this is certainly now the case.

Microsoft has also been confirmed that 32-bit versions of Longhorn - which is Microsoft's codename for its next-generation Windows - will be made available.

In terms of pricing and availability, the Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition are priced the same as their 32-bit counterparts, and are generally available immediately. For full upgrade information see the Microsoft website.