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Nvidia To Cease Producing New Drivers For 32-Bit Systems (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: While most people have probably made the switch by now, yet another reason to drop 32-bit operating systems and move to 64-bits is coming. Version 390 of Nvidia's graphics drivers, likely to arrive in January, will be the last to contain support for 32-bit versions of Windows (7, 8/8.1, and 10), Linux, and FreeBSD. There will be another year of security updates for 32-bit drivers, but all new features, performance enhancements, and support for new hardware will require the use of a 64-bit operating system and 64-bit drivers. Reasons to stick with 32-bit Windows are at this point few and far between. 64-bit Windows has superior security to 32-bit, and while it varies with workload, 64-bit applications can run somewhat faster than 32-bit counterparts; for workloads that won't fit within the constraints of 32-bit software, the difference is of course enormous. Generally, those who continue to use the 32-bit operating system tend to be subject to some kind of legacy constraint. 32-bit drivers won't work in 64-bit Windows, so obscure but mission critical hardware can extend the life of 32-bit systems.
I feel this statement is wrong 99% of the times except maybe when you need more than 32 bit addressing or doing computation using very large numbers. I think most application are faster on 32bit than 64bit.
noted: if you need legacy support don't buy nvidia
same key works for 32 and 64 just reinstall windows!
When will the hardware stop supporting 32-bit (and 16-bit) modes?
I talk about AMD and Intel CPUs.
I mean, there could always be one model that does (support 16/32 natively). But most models could be pure 64 bit. It would be easier for everyone, wouldnt it?
"Generally, those who continue to use the 32-bit operating system tend to be subject to some kind of legacy constraint." This, EXACTLY this. Even on 64bit hardware, switching from 32bit Windows to 64bit Windows is a serious fucking pain in the ass. I just switched a company using 64bit hardware over from Windows 7 to Windows 10. I figured since it was Microsoft's own upgrade tool and it could easily detect hardware, it would simply upgrade to a 64bit version of Windows 10, since it is a full OS replacement anyways. FUCKIN NOPE! It went 32bit still. Now to switch, literally every machine will need to be entirely reformatted just to switch over. This is going to take a great deal of time, *JUST* for the sake of maintaining security patches in video drivers. These are 100% fully PCI compliant machines due to the work we do (as in, things are REQUIRED to be patched to ass audits), so it is going to be a non-trivial process thanks to a goddamn driver.
This is a prime example for the necessity of libre drivers.
The good news is, libre drivers for Nvidia GPUs exist, and they continue to work on 32-bit Linux.
AMD Radeon GPUs have much better open source compatibility, though.
I can think of a few:
1.) You have a critical SW which is 16bit (either the whole SW, or a library referenced through trunking). As, by AMD's design, once in 64 bit mode, you can run 32bit Sw but NOT 16bit SW.
2.) You machine can not take more than 4GB of RAM (32bit OSs and SW tend to take less memory than their 64bit counterparts). Yes, in many cases 64bit apps run faster than 32bit ones, but that does you no good if you exhaust your caches, or if you need to swap.
3.) You have some HW that only has 32bit drivers.
4.) You have an ISA/EISA/VESA Hardware. (is a special case of #3)
5.) You have no money to replace the machine.
I live in LatAm, and while is not my case, I can perfectly undestand that it happens, and seen it first hand).
6.) If it works: Why replace it?
My parents were poor and from a small town, again I can understand the sentiment. Actualy, I would encourage it. If you keep using the machine, it does not end in a landfill, and we need no new raw material and energy to build a replacement.
For #1, emulation/virtualization may be an option. If your app is 16bits, it was designed for a long gone era, and even with all virtualization overhead, it will run faster than when it was new. Also, there are some programs that hang when run too fast (I am looking at you foxpro!), so, a virtualized machine can help by regulating speed.
For #3, virtualization again, with PCI passthrough could help.
For #2 and #4 I have no idea.
If someone else can think of other reasons to stick with 32bit OSs/machines, please let me know.
PS: I still have one 32bit machine. Nowadays, the only thing it does is send stuff from plex and VideoStream to my chromecast. And sometimes use Powerpoint Viewer and act as a Decoy for thughs in the public transport.
*** Suerte a todos y Feliz dia!
May old hardware still serves a purpose, but I guess it's time to send it to be recycled.
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
The compression scheme you describe is equivalent to 35-bit addressing, At the trend of 18 months per density doubling associated with Gordon Moore, it buys you four and a half years. Which common types of workload are larger than 4 GB but smaller than 32 GB?