Microsoft readies industry for switch to 64bit systems

I remember the bug-ridden junk that Microsoft turned over to IBM when they turned over OS-2. It took IBM 2 years to fix it enough to make it really functional.

Windows NT 3.1 was also unusable, and Windows NT wasn't really ready for production use until almost 4 years later.

Microsoft has barely released beta code for Windows XP-64, and has pretty much derailed Longhorn.

Meanwhile, Linux has been running in 64 bit mode for nearly 10 years. Linux was ported to the 64 bit Alpha, UltraSPArC, and PowerPC chip. Linux was the first operating system to work on the Merced emulator as well as the Itanium. Linux was also the first operating system to work on the AMD-64. Nearly all Linux applications are supported in 64 bit mode.

The good news is that Linux users who want to use 32 bit Windows can use bochs to do it. A Windows license is required of course.

Still, I don't ever write Microsoft off. They are still capable of some very unpleasant tactics to intimidate OEMs and corporate users into forced exclusive contracts and forced upgrades, along with forced price increases.

fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

Windows NT was supposed to be a "better UNIX than UNIX" to be released in early 1993. The functionality of SunOS 4.0 wasn't delivered until 2000. In fact, the full capabilities of SunOS 4.0 weren't delivered until Windows 2003.

Wnidows ME was supposed to be something wonderful as well. Many people went out and bought Windows 98 Upgrade kits to downgrade to Windows 98.

Windows XP was supposed to be included with the standard service contracts, at no extra cost. Instead IBM.

MS-DOS 4.0 was supposed to have mulbreastasking.

Windows 3.1 was supposed to have preemptive mulbreastasking.

Microsoft promises - they even deliver - eventually.