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Will 64-bit make a difference?

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zridling:
64-bit operating systems, 64-bit hardware, 64-bit software. How long before everything's just as slow as 32-bit?
(Yea, I'm directing that snide to Adobe and anyone else who can bring a fully-loaded 4G RAM system to a crawl. Seems like programmers consume whatever hardware resources is given to them, no matter how much it is. Much like my old mom does her house.)

Rover:
Yes it does.  64 bit xeons are plentiful these days.  Using VMware, I can run several 32-bit virtual servers on a dual 64-bit Xeon system and seeing around 5% CPU utilization. :up:

The slow thing currently is the HD access.  PCI-X has increased bus speed, we just need fast hard drives.

zridling:
Cool! I'm ready for that talking computer in Star Trek, or better, just implant Data's brain in my skull!

mouser:
zaine we implanted his brain in your skull last year.  you don't remember?
I'll prove it, let me ask you a question only data could answer in 1 ms and see how long it takes you.
what is 345634987398745395983765983465987*2384623986428974629874628923?

Carol Haynes:
LOL

Actually I think Zaine has a point - most 32 bit systems these days are as slow as 8 bit systems were in the 70s. When 16 bit systems appeared for domestic use they seemed really whizzo. I can still remember managing a 25 seat multi user mini computer that had 1 x 32 bit CPU and 4 Mb (that's not a typo) of memory and a fairly tiny hard disc by today's standards.

All software writers expand to fill the capacity of the system. (It is the same law that says it doesn't matter when you start to write and essay you will get it done on time and fill all the intervening time up - and in my case if I leave it to the last minute I usually get a better mark for it too!)

Does Microsoft Office (eg) actually acheive much more than Office 2 when it was released which came on a few floppies? There have been a lot of esoteric functions added but little of real core value and yet now you get umpteen CDs and it requires a mssive machine to do the same job. I am not picking on MS on this one but it is typical of application development. The fact that anything using the .Net framework (even a Hello World program) requires a 21Mb DLL installed says it all!

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