Why nowadays we need 32-bit operating system?

[life24]

Hello,
I reading some article and I think 64-bit operating system is better and have more capabilities.
But why nowadays companies produce 32-bit OS? 64 bits do all the work

 

[VirtualLarry]

Netbooks, and the like, mostly. But even that's going away, most of them have 4GB of RAM now these days too.

Really, it was because of the re-surgance of the Atom (Bay Trail and sucessors). Some of them were only 32-bit, or ran much better on 32-bit, and with less RAM footprint. IOW, 64-bit OSes wouldn't have run nearly as well, or at all, on those little Windows 8.1 tablets, and the like. (Compute sticks, too.)

 

[VirtualLarry]

For a desktop machine made in the last 10 years? Yes, 64-bit all the way. (Core2 and Athlon II support 64-bit, and most everything newer.)

 

[JackMDS]

Because Millions of people all over the world still have 32bits hardware.

And yes, Sad as it is, the world in General is Not run by Computer Enthusiasts that can afford better. .

 

[HeXen]

Why does any of this matter? Just pick the 64 bit version and go on, be happy there are alternative options for those that may want it. Options are always better, unless you're an indecisive person.

 

[ankit3302]

Just because 32bit can perform most of the times all the kinds of stuff that are required. So, why would anyone buy 64bit which is comparatively costly.

 

[mikeymikec]

32-bit Windows could in theory still run 16-bit code (I say in theory because 32-bit Windows has always been capable of doing that, but I suspect that other changes to Windows probably has killed off most 16-bit apps). Think ageing applications made by companies that went under many years ago.

Or say a piece of custom-design diagnostics software which hasn't been updated to run properly on 64-bit Windows.

Microsoft in the past has placed Windows in a position suiting it for compatibility with older hardware/software. Whether that will still apply in the years to come with "the last version of Windows", I'm somewhat doubtful.

I'm a bit surprised that there's a 32-bit version of Windows 10 though (it would have seemed like a sensible time to draw the line). Perhaps purely because of MS offering free Windows upgrades for 7/8x users? I wonder if MS might still pull the plug on it at some point, given that for example nvidia has dropped 32-bit OS support.

 

[robvas]

What about all the 64-bit PC's out there that have devices that don't have 64 bit drivers?

 

[mikeymikec]

What about all the 64-bit PC's out there that have devices that don't have 64 bit drivers?

I'm not sure who this response is aimed at.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Just because 32bit can perform most of the times all the kinds of stuff that are required. So, why would anyone buy 64bit which is comparatively costly.

Firstly, that is simply not true. Pretty much (with very, very few exceptions) every x86 CPU released since Conroe in 2006 has 64bit support. AMD was even earlier then that, since they developed AMD64. Which is the correct name if we're being pedantic. Which we're not...

Secondly, an x86 CPU has 8 registers. An AMD64 has 16. And in 64bit mode can address a lot more memory. Which means every 32bit application can get its own little 2GB sandbox to play in.

32-bit Windows could in theory still run 16-bit code (I say in theory because 32-bit Windows has always been capable of doing that, but I suspect that other changes to Windows probably has killed off most 16-bit apps). Think ageing applications made by companies that went under many years ago.

Or say a piece of custom-design diagnostics software which hasn't been updated to run properly on 64-bit Windows.

That's usually the reason. 32bit Windows still include the NTVDM, which means it can run DOS applications directly. 64bit Windows obviously can't, so you're stuck with either a VM or some form of emulation (e.g. DOSbox).

Microsoft in the past has placed Windows in a position suiting it for compatibility with older hardware/software. Whether that will still apply in the years to come with "the last version of Windows", I'm somewhat doubtful.

I'm a bit surprised that there's a 32-bit version of Windows 10 though (it would have seemed like a sensible time to draw the line). Perhaps purely because of MS offering free Windows upgrades for 7/8x users? I wonder if MS might still pull the plug on it at some point, given that for example nvidia has dropped 32-bit OS support.

Main reason is properly to enable in-place upgrades to Win10 on older systems. I do agree Win10 would have made a good line in the sand, since 8.1 is supported to 2023. But some businesses (think they) need that 16bit support, and 8(.1) never did get much traction in enterprise. Which means there are a lot of 32bit Win7 machines out there, and only 2 years to the EOL of 7...

 

[spikespiegal]

Why? Because some companies still have 32bit processors and have a policy that they don't retire workstations until they die. These places still run XP and Vista, and if you have an app that requires Win7 or higher they will install it on a P4.

I see the above far more than 16bit needs.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Why? Because some companies still have 32bit processors and have a policy that they don't retire workstations until they die. These places still run XP and Vista, and if you have an app that requires Win7 or higher they will install it on a P4.

I see the above far more than 16bit needs.

I'm lost for words. You'd think they'd like their employees to actually be productive...

The most expensive component of a workstation is the person using it, after all.

 

[Freejack2]

Also because there are companies, that still use pieces of software, that were designed for windows 3.1, 95, and 98. For some they've moved onto newer software but might have an old database or function on that old software which can't be easily migrated or gotten. So they need a 32 bit operating system to run it.
For others it's more a matter of, they spent a ton of money back in the 90s for this custom software for their company, and by god they're going to use that software until the end of time.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm lost for words. You'd think they'd like their employees to actually be productive...

The most expensive component of a workstation is the person using it, after all.

Not everyone needs a modern computer to be productive. My boss uses xubuntu32bit on his machine, and it's sufficient for his needs. My work computer is xubuntu32bit cause the drive started in a netbook that had 2gb of ram I have no intention of upgrading. That machine can use use 64bit, but I would gain nothing for my purposes, so a reinstall would be a waste of time.

 

[Puffnstuff]

My tablet has 64 bit hardware governed by a 32 bit bios so I'm forced to use 32 bit windows on it.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Not everyone needs a modern computer to be productive. My boss uses xubuntu32bit on his machine, and it's sufficient for his needs. My work computer is xubuntu32bit cause the drive started in a netbook that had 2gb of ram I have no intention of upgrading. That machine can use use 64bit, but I would gain nothing for my purposes, so a reinstall would be a waste of time.

No, of course not. If all you need is text editing and office type applications, then from a practical point of view there really isn't much difference between Office 95 and Office 2016. Sure, the newer versions gets you far more features, but if you are only using 10% of them anyway they're just useless value add.

It is if your job involves something time sensitive where you can get more done per unit of time, then being stuck on an old P4 is not the best use of the company's resources.

Consider "simple" web browsing. If you have to wait just f.x. 2 seconds for a page to load, then that's 2 seconds you're not doing anything. Those 2 seconds every time you open a page adds up over the course of a year. If you have f.x. 50 employees, that adds up considerably. Of course that's grossly simplified, I'm just illustrating my point.

Hardware is cheap, employees and their time isn't.

Also because there are companies, that still use pieces of software, that were designed for windows 3.1, 95, and 98. For some they've moved onto newer software but might have an old database or function on that old software which can't be easily migrated or gotten. So they need a 32 bit operating system to run it.
For others it's more a matter of, they spent a ton of money back in the 90s for this custom software for their company, and by god they're going to use that software until the end of time.

That's the truth right there ^^

 

[Oyeve]

My company used an old CRM program that was originally built for 16bit. Throughout the years it finally went 32bit but when I upgraded the servers to server 2012 R2 I had to build a 32bit win7 VM to host it. I got the client side to work on Windows 10 64bit but the host was not able. We just went live with a newer 64bit ready CRM and i have scrapped all 32bit systems.