64bit Operating Systems - Are They Worth It?

     April 2005, Microsoft releases Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.  Most assumed this was to go along with the mass production of 64bit processors from AMD and Intel.  It has been nearly 3 years since the release of XP x64 Edition and a year since the release of Vista x64 Editions.  So where is the support?

     While some hardware and software manufacturers have been coming along nicely with 64bit support recently, other company's, big name tech company's at that, have been very very slow to adopt the technology. 

     I recently built and installed two workstations in an office with XP Pro x64.  Nearly everything worked flawlessly except for two problems.  A Panasonic copy machine/network printer does not have 64bit drivers, and one staff member who recently purchased an iPhone can't get iTunes to work as Apple doesn't support 64bit operating systems. 

     Those of you who didn't already know are most likely shaking your heads in disbelief, so I will say it again, Apple and iTunes do not work with 64bit operating systems.  Yes it is true.  A supposedly high tech company like Apple doesn't see the need to support what many still believe is the future trend of computers, and it gets worse. 

     Another customer of mine who recently purchased a new computer from me with XP Pro x64 was shocked when she learned that her new Palm Treo 700p was not compatible with ANY 64bit operating system, not even 64bit versions of Vista.  It seems a high tech company like Palm also dont see the need for 64bit operating systems.   

     I got my own shocker the other day when I went to install the drivers for my digital dj hardware and software.  I use a program called Serato Scratch Live from Rane.  While the actual software works just fine, they have yet to produce any 64bit drivers for the accompanying hardware.

     So right there I have listed Apple (iTunes), Palm, and Rane.  Three supposedly high tech company's with all the latest, greatest hardware.  I can only imagine how much worse it gets.

     For a long time, only the most daring were installing 64bit operating systems because of the lack of driver and software support.  But times have changed, especially with the release of Windows Vista 64bit.  More and more people are finding themselves with a new computer running 64bit operating systems, and others specifically want a 64bit operating system for it's support of greater amounts of memory.  So why are so many supposedly high tech company's staying away from 64bit support?  That is actually a really good question.  Here are my thoughts on that.

     64bit operating systems while still lacking in some drivers and software support still do have some really cool advantages.  The main reason why people are choosing 64bit is for it's support of higher amounts of memory.  While many of the people who are choosing to go down the 64bit road don't actually need more memory, they still want it.  If you tell a person that they can get more of it, and it will cause the "bigger" numbers to go up then they instantly have to have it.  Especially here in the United States where bigger and better almost always seem to rule over what's practical.  So with a 64bit operating system you can get Windows to recognise more then 3gb of memory.  Currently in my gaming rig running XP Pro x64 I have 4gb of DDR2 800 memory.

     Their are some practical people out there right now, who recognise the fact that at the moment they don't need more then 2gb of memory, but in the near future they might.  I call these people, forward thinkers.  They make their computer purchases with a high regard as to how the industry might change and evolve in the future.  Several of my customers who are purchasing new computers now want the 64bit operating system to be able to increase their memory above 3gb a few years from now at a time when they might actually need it. 

     Another really good reason why a 64bit operating system is better is because once it is installed you have just shielded your computer from a very large amount of known Windows viruses that only work on a 32 bit operating systems.  This is especially true for most root kit viruses.  While you still do need anti virus protection on a 64bit operating system, the threat level is decreased substantially.

     PC gamers also really like 64bit operating systems at the moment as most newer games are being written specifically for 64 bit operating systems and thus run much faster and better. 

     Those who work with audio and video encoding also really appreciate 64bit operating systems as the heavy encoding work goes much faster on a 64 bit operating system.

     So right there we have four pretty good advantages with using a 64bit operating systems.  But do they outweigh the disadvantages?  I guess that really depends exactly on what you plan on doing with your computer.  But again we are brought back to the main question.....Why are so many high tech companies moving so slow to adopt the newer technology? 

     Well I can think of several reasons, but the main reason that comes to my mind is money.  Developing hardware and software to work on a 64bit operating system is a fully different process.  It is a process that can cost vast amounts of money, and company's have to assess whether or not the cost for producing working software and hardware is worth the monetary gains. 

     At the current time, it may not be in a company's best interest to invest that kind of cash into a little used operating system.  Their really may not be enough 64bit users out there to justify the money spent.  I call these company's "trailers" as their vision for the future seems to be severely lacking and they find themselves always trailing the industry leaders.  

     Let's look at Palm again.  While at the current time, producing 64bit drivers may not give them a decent gain in profits, they are obviously not thinking about their own future.  Remember, in the United States, bigger is better.  People, again even if they don't need it, will want the higher amounts of memory.  To add to that, none of us can really see with any certainty exactly where the computer industry is heading, but if things continue on their current 30 year trend, we will still require more memory, faster processors, and more hard drive space in the future. To get over that 3gb memory hump we will all have to adopt 64bit operating systems at some point in the next couple years.  Palm apparently is not thinking about any of that, and is only concerned about the here and now.  This is really a shame as my customer spent over $500 on her Palm 700p phone thinking that a company that is supposedly on the cutting edge of technology, and that charges so much for their products, would surely be able to support 64bit operating systems, only to find out that Palm is not as cutting edge as they like people to think they are.  At a minimum they sure had me fooled. 

     Going back to Apple, you would almost surely think that the company that leads the way in MP3 players with the iPod would be right there on top of the 64bit technology, assuring all of their customers who paid way more then they should have for their iPods and iPhones can get the service and support that those high price premiums almost certainly demand.  While I personally don't like or use any Apple products, many many people love them.  The fact that Apple leaves an entire community behind without any support is just mind boggling.  Apple, like Microsoft has been after every spare dollar from every person on the planet for a few years now, and that being the case you would like that those 64bit dollars would be just as valuable to them.    

     Most of you who are not familiar with the professional dj market will most likely not know about Rane.  Rane has been manufacturing top end dj mixers and dj gear for a long long time now.  Back in 2004 Rane released a software and hardware package called Serato Scratch Live.  Serato is a vinyl emulating tool allowing a dj to use two time encoded records to manipulate mp3's being played on a PC or laptop just like they would a normal record.  Other company's also released similar products that did basically the same exact thing.  These products helped bridge the ever increasing gap between spinning records and spinning MP3's.  They allowed the dj to still get the easier and more comfortable feel of vinyl while staying on the cutting edge of the digital realm with MP3's.  After building my new gaming and music production computer with Windows XP Pro x64 I went to install my Serato Scratch Live product and was astonished to learn that Rane did not have 64bit drivers for the Serato hardware and had no plans to produce any in the future.  Although I was seriously ticked off to learn this at first, it really was only a minor inconvenience as I could just use my laptop or another one of the 6 different computers I have in my house to broadcast my internet radio show.  But here is the biggest problem with Rane, I have already spent just over $600 on the Serato software and hardware, and another $1000 on the new computer and parts, plus another $139.99 on XP Pro x64 from Newegg.  When I contacted Rane about the problem, they first asked me why I needed a 64bit operating system, and then told me to go back to a 32bit operating system.  This actually infuriated me which them prompted me to write a few nasty comments about them on their message forums.     

     While some company's have been painfully slow to adopt the 64bit technology, others have risen to the challenge and have met it head on. 

     HP is is a forward thinking company that actually seems to be concerned about the future, or at least it sure seems like they are.  I have installed some 6 different models of HP printers on 64bit operating systems including the seriously old LaserJet 5 and 6 MP's.  While the installation wasn't exactly easy, it did work and the drivers are out there.  HP at a minimum, is making a concerted effort to make all of their products available to all computer users regardless of their operating system.   

     Some smaller company's who's main source of income is a single software program or single piece of hardware have stood up and made sure they were right there at the forefront of the 64bit technology.  Two of them that stand out in my opinion are Steve Boyle and Associates and Anchor Commercial.  Both company's make very specific software programs used by small business's and economic development councils across the United States.   Neither of them has a large staff or millions if not billions of dollars at their disposal like Palm and Apple, but yet for some reason, just about all of their products are fully compatible with XP and Vista 64bit versions.  So why is it that these smaller company's can make products that work flawlessly with 64bit operating systems and other larger company's with far more resources can't? 

     It's because the smaller company's care.  They care about their customers and are fighting against the large corporations like Apple and Palm for your much needed business.  Palm, Apple and Rane could really care less what operating system you are using, and they could really care less if you can use their products.  They have so much money coming in from the millions of people who can use their products that a few thousand people who can't user their products are of no concern to them. 

    Another possible reason as to why some of these larger company's don't have 64bit support is kind of far fetched.  They don't know how to make 64bit drivers and software.  Yes I know, this seems pretty far fetched and it really is, but I just have to wonder exactly how smart some of these supposedly high tech company's really are.  With the lack of ability to look into the future, and the lack of ability to meet the needs of a few thousand customers now, I really have to wonder if they are as high tech as they claim to be.  With Palm I now know they aren't.  But still it really just makes you wonder.

     And the final possible reason as to why they don't support 64bit operating systems is that they are lazy.  Yes, it's another pretty far fetched reason, but it could be true.  These big company's again are making millions from their current client base, so they feel no need to rush the production of 64bit drivers and software.  Never mind the fact that 64bit operating systems have already been around for three years on the Windows side and just as long if not longer on the Linux side.  These big company's are swimming in consumer dollars right now, so the need for them to get to work on something as minor as 64bit support is minimal at best.  So they are being lazy. 

     Ok, so this is a very long blog post.  As you can see, this 64bit topic has really struck a nerve with me.  But if you have made it this far, please share with me some of your frustrations.  Let me and everybody else know what other products also don't work with 64bit operating systems.  This information could really come in handy for those who are seriously thinking about converting over. 

     Before I leave you to ponder on this, I have one more.  Panasonic, I can't speak for all of their products, but I do know of a couple of their larger copy machine/network printers that don't work on 64bit operating systems.  So be careful.

Enjoy. 

Update - Word on the net today is that Microsoft is planning on releasing Windows 7 in 2009 (this is a rumor at this point and is waiting confirmation from Microsoft).  Microsoft is saying that Windows 7 will be the last version of Windows to be released in both 32 and 64 bit versions with later releases of Windows being strictly 64bit.  If Windows 7 is released in 09 that means that Windows will be back to the three year cycle.  This also means that hardware and software manufacturers better get moving, because if things prove to pan out, then they won't have the option of making 32 bit software and drivers for new Windows releases after 2012. 

Update 1-25-08 - As nlorvick pointed out in a comment below, Apple has finally released a x64 bit version of iTunes, but it is for Vista only.  Regardless, the fact that it took the worlds most popular MP3 maker a full year to produce a popular software program compatable with a very common and popular OS is just pathetic.