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Microsoft Officially Confirms 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Seven/Windows 2009Or, at least, it does not deny that Windows Seven/Windows 2009 will come in both x86 and x64 versions |
By Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor
18th of May 2007, 10:50 GMT
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32-bit will live after Windows Vista. Microsoft has officially confirmed that Windows Seven/Windows 2009, the operating system that will succeed Windows Vista, will come in both x86 and x64 versions. For a company that is muted by Windows Omerta, when it comes to releasing any details about its plans for the upcoming releases of the Windows client operating system, Microsoft has gone all out and delivered an insight into the transition of its platforms exclusively to 64-bit.
With this, Microsoft has shed some light on a statement delivered by Bill Laing, General Manager in the Microsoft Windows Server Division. "Windows Server 2008 is the last 32-bit operating system that we'll produce," Laing revealed during the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference WinHEC 2007 in Los Angeles. "Post-2008, we will transition to 64-bit. Many Microsoft products are becoming 64-bit only today, because they're realizing the benefits of 64-bit computing. Exchange Server 2007, Windows Compute Cluster Server, and Windows Server Virtualization are all 64-bit only today, because they give significant benefits."
Because of the general reference "the last 32-bit operating system," Laing's words were interpreted as Microsoft's plans for all its operating system, not only the server-side solutions. Speculations about Windows Vista being the last client operating system from the Redmond Company exploded with Laing's quotes as source. Microsoft has come out into the open and clarified the ambiguous statement.
"Bill Laing, a General Manager in the Microsoft Windows Server Division, has been quoted as saying that Windows Server 2008 will be the last 32-bit operating system. Bill is a server guy and indeed Windows Server 2008 is the last 32-bit server operating system - all future operating systems for server hardware from Microsoft beyond Windows Server 2008 will be 64-bit," revealed Alex Heaton, Windows senior product
manager.
Microsoft has in fact announced since November 2005, its plans to transition to 64-bit computing following the release of Windows Server 2008 - Longhorn. The Redmond Company will finish moving to 64-bit with the code-named Windows Server 2008 (Longhorn) R2 update for Windows Server 2008.
But this perspective is only valid for Microsoft's server operating system. "A few folks took Bill's comments on Windows Server and applied them to Windows Client deriving that Windows Vista would be the last 32-bit operating system. That is an incorrect extension. While Windows Vista includes both 32-bit and 64-bit and there is a growing community of drivers for 64-bit Windows Vista we have not decided when Windows Client will follow Windows Server and become 64-bit only," Heaton added.
"In short, Windows Server 2008 will be the last 32-bit server OS from Microsoft. Onward to 64-bit only. Heck, 87% of all the servers shipping today are x86-64; x86-32 shipments have been declining and are about 7% of shipments. So this week's WinHEC served as a time to remind customers and partners what we're going to do. Bill Laing showed a roadmap of server products that are already 64-bit only, such as Exchange 2007, Windows CCS, Windows Server virtualization, others, and approximate timeframe for other server products. Unfortunately, [some people] got it wrong and heard that Windows Server 2008 would be the last 32-bit OS from Microsoft ... server and client. While the server team is bullish on 64-bit, the embedded and desktop world isn't near ready for x64 only," stated a member of the Windows Server Division.
In this context, Microsoft has provided half of an official confirmation that Windows Seven/Windows 2009 will not be exclusively focused on 64-bit. And while it is possible that the Redmond Company could still transition to x64 with the client operating system, the environment is simply not ready for such a move, and it is improbable that all will fit into place in just two years.
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| Comment #1 by: alex on 17 Apr 2008, 13:28 GMT |  reply to this comment | could be better, but anyway its good sense ! |
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