As reported here, Windows Server 2008 is the last 32-bit version of Windows. The next version, whenever that arrives, will be 64-bit only. So for all you lazy applications and hardware developers who can't be bothered to write 64-bit software or drivers, the end is in sight. Get off your duffs and get with the program.
There will be whinging and crying and moaning. There was when Windows 9x got axed (though Windows Me sure helped make the demise of 9x less painful, since it was so awful!) But the time has come, folks. And frankly, as someone who has been running 64-bit Windows for over two years now, I'm more than ready. I hope you are.
Update: It appears this is true for Server (and no surprise there at all, but that MS is not yet willing to confirm this for the client. Sigh. See the Vista Team Blog. Personally, I think they'll be dropping the 32-bit client by then as well, but we'll see.
Charlie.
More details from Mike Neil at: Windows Server Blog about the features that won't be in Viridian. These include no hot add of resources (storage, networking, memory, and processor), no live migration, and a limit of 16 logical processors (cores). The second two I am not all that bummed out about, but the first is a major cut of a feature that was promised from the beginning. It also almost certainly means no USB, either, since that's a "hot add", though Mike doesn't call it out explicitly. And while I realize that Mike has to make this look as good as he can, burying the bad news all the way at the bottom of the post doesn't fool anyone and isn't the right message, IMHO.
Mike does make an important point, however. Shipping is a feature too.
Charlie.