Change is in the air. Can you feel it? It has a certain 64-bit taste and feel to it. And Microsoft has already embraced it. The Redmond Company has begun moving its products to 64-bit. And with 64-bit computing representing a fast approaching horizon, Microsoft's move is understandable.

It has debuted with Windows Server on 64-bit a few months short two year ago, and since that moment, Microsoft has focused product development on 64-bit platforms. SQL Server 2005 was Microsoft's first 64-bit application.

"That was basically because there was first and foremost no downside for a company to use it. It has the scalability, it is transparent. The only difference is that now you have many gigabytes of memory. When Exchange Server 2007 ships shortly, it will be the first major server application that Microsoft produces which is only 64-bit. That was a rather difficult decision for us to take, but we decided as a company that by offering 64-bit only, we could offer customers really substantive benefits in availability and performance," said Bob Muglia, Senior Vice President of Server and Tools Business at Microsoft in an interview for ZDNet.

Referring to the upcoming Windows Server Longhorn that is scheduled for availability in the second half of 2007, Muglia stated that the product would ship both for 32-bit and 64-bit. "That will be the last time we ship a 32-bit version. From that point, the next release, which will be roughly two years later, that product will only be available as 64-bit," he added.