You know… “two bits, four bits, six bits… a dollar!”
I have been doing some research into the status of the 64 bit personal computer. I built one last year using an AMD dual core processor. This ramble is not inclusive of the “workstation” class of personal computers and applications.
I was correct that the PC world was going to the dual processor on a chip route. My AMD box is very good at doing several things at once. The specs are not important to this rambling. I was not so good at hitting the mark with 64 bit software. At least not yet. It is coming but at a very slow pace.
Apple has boasted on their hardware for some time. But they have no commercial software other than their latest OS X that runs 64 bit. Read the fine print. It says the users can develop 64 applications to run on the system.
Microsoft offered a very hard to get XP 64 bit OS that has little support or users. The last report I read stated that a stable Vista OS really won’t be consumer ready for 64 bit until 2008.
I tried to load a Linux 64 bit OS on the AMD box but because my root drive is RAID 0, it didn’t know how to install. Dead end there. Linux has its own set of unique issues.
The truth is the vast world of business PC users has no immediate need of 64 bit processing. A few specialist do and they write their own software to take advantage of 64 bits. So It does exist. Software fortunes are made from mass consumers. Not specialty 64 bit applications.
Games (entertainment) is a strong market segment. The built for gaming boxes love the 64 bit universe. This is the strongest driving force towards 64 bit PCs. 32 bit machines will soon be hard to find.
I read that AMC is or has stopped making 32 bit processors. I explored their website and there is no evidence of 32 bit processors. Even their low end processor is at heart, 64 bit. That will bring the cost of the processor down and lead into the further development of 64 bit applications. Their smart thinking was to let 32 bit applications run superbly in the 64 bit processor.
Apple because of their tight hardware/software control are leading the market in reliable 64 bit personal computers. Not that this means anything at this point. Their OS X is now a full 64 bit OS when running on 64 bit processors. All I/O functions work perfectly because of their tight control of product.
The key to 64 bit computers lays in the hands of the software developers. They work for the end user. What’s needed is a killer app in 64 bit. I think that app is games and various home entertainment. Have you noticed how heavy the PC Hardware Box makers and operating systems are leaning in that direction? Did you know that AMD now owns ATI, the graphics card giant?
Do we need 64 bit office programs? (No) Do we need 64 bit e-mail? (No) Are software vendors going to “port over” perfectly good 32 bit applications just to run in 64 bit? (No – unless it is very easy to do.) Can games, video and other “real time” entertainment benefit from from huge and fast access to memory ram? (Yes!)
Entertainment is the future for 64 bit computing. With a little scientific computing thrown in to keep it honest. That’s what my crystal ball sez…