[AccessD] 32 bit or 64 bit Access2010 (An OT reply)

Thanks a lot, Drew, for these comments which help to put things into 
perspective.  Much appreciated.

I guess I realised it is inevitable that we all have to go that way 
eventually.  I was hoping for a bit more time to adapt. :-) And given that 
there's normally no barrier to running 32 bit software on 64 bit computers, 
or under 64 bit OSes, initially gave me a naively false sense of security. 
Where the real pressure comes in, at this stage, from an Access developer's 
point of view, is needing to cater to those instances where the user has 
installed 64 bit *Office* on their computers.  This, I imagine, will affect 
some of us in the short term more than others.

Regards
Steve


--------------------------------------------------
From: "Drew Wutka" <DWUTKA at Marlow.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 7:30 AM
To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving" 
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Subject: Re: [AccessD] 32 bit or 64 bit Access2010 (An OT reply)

> I'm currently in a little struggle at work over 64 bit.  I guess people
> don't realize that when we went from 16 bit, to 32 bit, there was a
> major shift in paradigms when it came to computing.  Several years
> before Windows 95, most computers being sold were 32 bit processors,
> even though most apps were 16 bit.  Windows 95 really brought the 32 bit
> world to the average user.  Even though Windows 95 helped make 32bit the
> standard, it was over ten years after the first 32 bit processor came
> out (1984).  It's now 2010, which is 19 years after the first 64 bit
> processor (1991).  Intel didn't come out with it's first 64 bit
> processor until 2001 though, so we're looking at the same 10 year(ish)
> gap between the processor being available, and the standardization of
> it's use.
>
> There are several factors that are going to push the world into 64 bit
> OSes.  #1, memory.  4 gig is the absolute max of a 32 bit system.  How
> many people reading this email either have or want 4 gigs or more?  In a
> 32 bit OS, you are using 4 gigs for your entire system, so if you have 4
> gigs in RAM on your motherboard, you are actually utilizing less than
> that, since the video ram needs memory addressing too.  (So a 4 gig
> system, with a 512 meg video card only gets to use 3.5 gigs of it's
> RAM).  #2, Microsoft.  They are putting out 64 bit versions of Windows 7
> on new computers without making a big deal of it.  To the average home
> user getting a new computer (especially for the first time), they aren't
> going to notice whether their system is 32 bit or 64 bit.  This is being
> done for reason #1.  Buy a new computer with 3 gigs of memory.  Well if
> you want to double that in a year or two, you'd have to reinstall a 64
> bit OS (can't 'upgrade' from 32 bit to 64 bit).  Reason #3, games!  Like
> it or not, it's not business applications which push the computer field.
> ;)  It's games and porn!  And gaming systems have been 64 bit for quite
> some time.  The spill over to PC games is pushing everything to 64 bit.
>
> So get on the bandwagon before it's too late!
>