Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[confused]

Dan I was not only around when Win 3.0 came out but I was the first customer to buy and original IBM PC from Computerland in 1982. I tried every method I could find to multitask in DOS including DoubleDos and Deskview. My son ran a bbs from the house before most people even knew there was a way to send electronic mail across the country at no cost.

I used 3.0 as soon as it appeared because it let me switch between 3 different dos apps in an easier fashion than anything I could find. I also was an OS2 bigot for a while but since IBM never could understand that a big supply of hardware drivers was really important I eventually moved to NT 3.5. Actually I had a beta of NT 3.1 on a 486 with 16 meg but it was essentially useless. I also spent time with a company developing drivers for optical juke boxes for NT 3.51 and 4.0.

One thing I have seen over all of that time is that application software is almost always as far behind OS improvement as OS development is behind hardware. You may think that all the new sw is going to be developed for 64 bit in the next 2 or 3 years but I respectfully disagree based on the fact that even if both of the major mpu vendors start selling mostly 64 bit capable devices in the next 6 months that for the next few years anyone choosing to build a 64 bit app that doesn't have a driving need for one will be limiting themselves because the installed base will be being ignored. I think 64 bit has some important use and no doubt over some period of years it will be the standard. My objection is only that it really isn't going to happen with the speed many people here seem to think. I guess my point is that since there is no perceived driving need at the moment then strong feelings about it almost have to be religious rather than rational.

You seem to be working in an environment where there is a valuable benefit to the 64 bit model so I understand your enthusiasm for it. I'm sure it makes sense in what you are doing and you have found a use where A64 provides real value but in the mass market for PCs that doesn't yet appear to be the case.

By the way I appreciate your reasoned response when I have posted because it has surprised me how many backhanded slaps at my user name several normally civil contributors have chosen to use. I'm interested in participating in some of these boards because I find that talking with people I disagree with can help me to find flaws in my own reasoning.