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Microsoft to Require 64-bit Processors

Posted by samzenpus on from the upgrade dept.

Nom du Keyboard writes "According to News.com Microsoft has said they will require 64-bit instruction set processors (AMD64/EMT64) for all future processor releases. These include Exchange 12, Longhorn Server R2 and Small-Business Edition Longhorn Server among others. I guess we have to bite this bullet sometime."

27 of 377 comments (clear)

  1. Is this bad or good? by KiroDude · · Score: 5, Funny

    So is this bad news or good news, or?? come'on, give me something for my daily microsoft bashing spree!!

    1. Re:Is this bad or good? by Linker3000 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hell yes this is good news because everyone knows that you can't make a decent word processor work properly with less than 64 bits - up until now all code writers have really struggled to make 8-, 16- and 32-bit processors handle such complex tasks - look at the kind of sucky code we had to put up with: WP 5.1, Wordstar, Lotus Manuscript, Word for DOS - heck maybe now we'll see some improvement on the shitty vi and emacs!!

      Typical improvements will be:

      1) Spell and grammar checking - with a 64-bit processor, the WP app will be able to offer up to (2^64)-2 suggestions for a mis-spelled word rather than just a handful.

      2) More underline styles

      3) Ability to type faster without the system locking up.

      4) Documents finish printing before you've typed them

      5) AI components know what you are thinking and will auto-finish sentences for you MICROSOFT SUCKS.

      6) Systems will be able to do more things at once - imagine being able to check email while typing at 2000 wpm AND be composing replies to messages you haven't even received yet while printing tomorrow's news.

      --
      AT&ROFLMAO
    2. Re:Is this bad or good? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I doubt Microsoft will go beyond this though - after all, 64 bits ought to be enough for anyone.

    3. Re:Is this bad or good? by rwyoder · · Score: 2, Funny
      6) Systems will be able to do more things at once - imagine being able to check email while typing at 2000 wpm AND be composing replies to messages you haven't even received yet while printing tomorrow's news.
      And will that news arrive outside my door with a meowing cat?
  2. Good move? by ichigo+2.0 · · Score: 1, Funny

    I think this is a really good move from Microsoft, this way they will be able to

    1. Re:Good move? by silasthehobbit · · Score: 4, Funny

      "I think this is a really good move from Microsoft, this way they will be able to" ...finish sentences?

      --
      silas
      hobbit

    2. Re:Good move? by l3v1 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think this is a really good move from Microsoft, this way they will be able to

      Yes, they will.
       

      --
      I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I can think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
  3. That Does IT !! by Artie_Effim · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally a new use for my Commodore 64!! I cannot wait to hand input hex strings for Exchange 12 ;)

  4. You know what that means, don't you? by Sduic · · Score: 3, Funny

    >2GB minimum memory requirement! :)

    --
    *this space intentionally left blank
    "One of the four pointers saying 'come and see', and I saw, and beheld a white
  5. Mailbox size?!? by Dekortage · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the article: "IT professionals will be able to consolidate the total number of servers running 64-bit (processors) and users will be able to have bigger mailbox size."

    How big are these mailboxes that you need 64-bit processing space??? *boggle*

    --
    $nice = $webHosting + $domainNames + $sslCerts
    1. Re:Mailbox size?!? by BushCheney08 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Don't worry. 64-bit SPAM is coming any day now...

      --
      Be a real patriot: Question authority. Think for yourself. Formulate your own conclusions.
    2. Re:Mailbox size?!? by jcr · · Score: 3, Funny

      How big are these mailboxes that you need 64-bit processing space??? *boggle*

      I knew that goddamned HTML mail would lead to this!

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    3. Re:Mailbox size?!? by pete-classic · · Score: 2, Funny

      Zaphod, is that you?

      -Peter

  6. Not quite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    I guess we have to bite this bullet sometime... if we don't build from source.

    To all my homies running 386SX, ARM and 68020 print servers: Open source repruhzent!

  7. Duke Nukem SixtyForEver by 0110011001110101 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Good lord... won't a required move to 64 bit architecture put all those gaming addicts with drug addictions into a heroin induced frenzy? I mean if you think it's hard to kick the 32 bit habit.. now they'll be selling their own mothers to get the next copy of Duke Nukem 64ever...

    --
    Don't anthropomorphize computers: they hate that.
    1. Re:Duke Nukem SixtyForEver by F_Scentura · · Score: 2, Funny

      Are you saying that all gamers will move to 64-bit when DNF is released? 64-bit computing will probably be the "old and busted" by that point.

  8. oh Bob, by in10d · · Score: 2, Funny

    you are so brilliant!

    "IT professionals will be able to consolidate the total number of servers running 64-bit (processors) and users will be able to have bigger mailbox size," he said.

    twice bigger, i guess?

  9. Great!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Now even Microsoft has a reason not to worry about bloat software...those 64bit CPU requirements will help keep the current trends of bloated code for years to come!

    What's the old line "Buy a 4893439834392MHZ CPU, so you can reboot faster!"

    Ok, my daily Microsoft bash is out of the way for today.

  10. Re:Digg.com did it again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Stop fucking whoring Digg so blatantly . you are giving the site a bad reputation

  11. Re:Digg.com did it again by cloudturtle · · Score: 2, Funny

    Slashdot is only falling behind because that site doesn't include all the dupes.

  12. Updates for this quote by cciRRus · · Score: 5, Funny

    In view of the future 64-bit requirement, can anyone update this neat quote?

    Windows 9x: noun. A collection of 32-bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16-bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor. Written by a 2-bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition.

    --- Anonymous

    --
    w00t
    1. Re:Updates for this quote by sucker_muts · · Score: 5, Funny

      Longhorn: noun. A 64-bit recompile of a collection of 32-bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16-bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor. Written by a 2-bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition.

      Easy enough, or could it be better?

      --
      Dependency hell? => /bin/there/done/that
    2. Re:Updates for this quote by dcapel · · Score: 2, Funny

      Longhorn: noun. A 64-bit clone of a collection of 32-bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16-bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor. Written by a 2-bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition.

      --
      DYWYPI?
  13. Re:Something's not right by masklinn · · Score: 2, Funny
    Windows is the 64-bit frontend of a 32-bit shell for a 16-bit extension to an 8-bit operating system designed for a 4-bit microprocessor by a 2-bit company that can't stand one bit of competition.
    ?
    --
    "The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
  14. Re:This is dumbness by KinkoBlast · · Score: 2, Funny

    Upgrade! I have a nice pair of peril-sensitive sunglasses right here I'll sell for $42.

  15. Re-release by Intel by CruddyBuddy · · Score: 2, Funny
    Does this mean that in 2010 Intel will re-release the MMX processor?

    (Quick - somebody trademark something!)

    Or are we (thankfully) over with the whole 'X' thing?

    Windows Vista, which has slipped to Q4 2006, could be called Windows VIsta

    --
    ----------
    Any problem can be made unsolvable if there are enough meetings made to discuss it.
  16. Closed Source by RAMMS+EIN · · Score: 2, Funny

    I guess Microsoft is feeling the pain of shipping their software only in binary form. Rather than paying the cost and compiling and shipping for both architectures (like Apple might do), they are putting the cost on the customer by supporting only one architecture per product.

    Oh well, one more advantage of open source promoted from theoretical to real status. And yet another instance of Microsoft pushing the hardware upgrade threadmill. Keep running, hamsters! Run or you'll fall down! Not that anyone should be surprised by that, though.

    --
    Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.