[Tech - Geek] What will personal computing be like?
Remember way back in 1995 when Windows transitioned from 16-bit processing to 32-bit processing? I remember thinking that it was a much-needed improvement, and as horrible as Windows 95 appears in the rear-view mirror, it was great at the time. At least, before all of the holes and blemishes became apparent.
So, how do you feel about 64-bit computing? And I don't mean at the server level, I mean your personal computer, be it desktop, laptop or tablet. Is this something you need, or think you'll need in a few years?
Many of the recent advances in personal computing hardware have been neat, but not really necessary. I have yet to own a Pentium 4 CPU. My laptop is a P3 800/600 (automatically steps to the higher speed when needed) with half a gig of memory, my server/gaming machine is a P3 750 with 256MB RAM, and the family computer is a P3 500 with 384MB RAM. With the exception of a few games I'd like to play, why would I need one of these computing rockets that they've been selling for the past couple of years? Everything works great right now, despite the fact that I'm as much as 3GHz behind the leading edge of processing speed.
So let's look at what's on tap for future computers. Intel plans to stop producing Pentium 4 chips by the end of 2005, saying all future Intel chips will be dual-core processors, and everything points to them being 64-bit processors. This is supported by a statement from Jim Allchin, Microsoft's Group Vice President of Platforms:
We will have a 64-bit version of Longhorn, no question. Will we have a 32-bit version? The plan is yes, but now, if we learn a lot between now and then, that might change. But right now we are staying the course and it is so hard to predict how fast the run rate will be. We know where AMD (Advanced Micro Devices Inc.) will be, we know pretty much where Intel (Corp.) will be. I think we just have to wait a little bit.
Think about that: Intel stops making 32-bit chips, and Microsoft doesn't produce another 32-bit operating system. With these two giants supporting each other, don't you think that will accelerate the adoption of both Intel's new chips and Microsoft's Longhorn?
So it appears that, within two or three years, when you go to WalMart to buy a mainstream computer, it's going to have a dual-core 64-bit processor running a 64-bit-only operating system. Hooda thunkit?
