Windows Server 2008 declared 32-bit's last hurrah

One of the interesting tidbits coming out of Microsoft's annual WinHEC conference this year is that Windows Server 2008 (and its accompanying service packs, natch) will be Microsoft's last 32-bit server operating system. After Windows Server 2008 launches, Microsoft plans no further releases of any other server-oriented 32-bit operating systems, though it's probably safe to assume that Vista and Server-derived OS flavors will continue to be released in a 32-bit edition for as long as Microsoft refreshes these particular products.

"Windows Server 2008 is the last 32-bit operating system that we'll produce," said Bill Laing, Microsoft's general manager for Windows Server, said during a keynote address at WinHEC today according to APC Magazine. Microsoft has not yet decided when the client version of Windows will follow suit, according to a post on the Vista blog.

Assuming that Microsoft, AMD, and Intel all keep their various compatibility layers intact, this shouldn't cause any major issues for end users. Windows Server 2003 is able to run 32-bit software from within a 64-bit OS, and x86-64 compatible processors from both AMD and Intel are also 32-bit compatible.

Any new version of Windows is at least a few years away. Earlier this year, rumors circulated that the next version of Windows would be out in 2009, but Microsoft later said that it was giving "no official guidance" on when Vista's successor would be released. With 64-bit capability already widely entrenched in both AMD and Intel products, it's logical to think that by the time the next version of Windows rolls around, all products from both CPU manufacturers will be 64-bit compatible. Still, given that there are many vendors are still selling laptops with 32-bit Core Duo CPUs, there is likely to be a significant installed base of machines with 32-bit-only CPUs once the next version of Windows rolls out the door. Hence Microsoft's reluctance to make the next Windows client version 64-bit only.

Announcements like this always have their critics, no matter how gradual the transition, but in the long run this type of shift is necessary both to eliminate the number of code bases Microsoft and other software developers have to simultaneously update and to force software developers to take 64-bit code seriously. Given the large numbers of 32-bit machines still in use, Microsoft will likely support 32-bit CPUs on its client OSes for some time to come.