The 64-bit version of Windows Vista can be obtained in retail only if you purchase the Ultimate Edition of Microsoft’s new operating system.
According to the CompUSA’s product pages, Windows Vista Basic, Home Premium and Business ship with 32-bit DVD only, while the Ultimate comes with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
The FreeBSD Release Engineering Team announced the FreeBSD 6.2-RELEASE. This release continues the development of the 6-STABLE branch of this Unix-like free operating system, providing performance and stability improvements, bug fixes and new features, according to Team.
Some of the highlights are freebsd-update, which provides officially supported binary updates for security fixes and errata patches, experimental support for CAPP security event auditing, OpenBSM audit command line tool suite and library, KDE updated to 3.5.4, GNOME updated to 2.16.1, csup integrated cvsup client now included, disk integrity protection and authentication added to gel, and many driver updates.
FreeBSD 6.2 is available for different 64-bit and 32-bit platforms.
More info and download: http://www.freebsd.org/where.html
Chip makers AMD and Intel think the 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Vista operating system will not take over the enthusiast market in 2007, The Inquirer reports.
“Without an exception, they all think it’s too early and the drivers won’t be that polished for 64 bit either. AMD and Intel have CPUs which can support 64 operating systems but the drivers are still lame, unpolished and slow compared with 32 bit,” the report says.
MEPIS released Beta 1 of its SimplyMEPIS-64 (64-bit) Version 6.0-4 last week. The launched SimplyMEPIS-64 Beta 1 Linux distribution release features a security-patched 2.6.15 kernel and the KDE 3.5.3 desktop, as same as Firefox 2.0.0.1 browser with Flashplayer 9, OpenOffice 2.0.2 office suite, and support for the newest sound chips and Apple hardware.
The 64-bit version of SimplyMEPIS offer the same advanced hardware autodetection, multimedia integration, and easy-to-use installer that is included with the 32-bit edition, the company claims.
The upcoming CS3 version of Adobe Photoshop will not include 64-bit version of this popular image-editing software. According to Photoshop co-architect Scott Byer, “at some point it will make sense to do a 64-bit version”.
“It’s definitely a ‘when’ question, not an ‘if’, and there are a lot of factors involved,” Byer said in his blog.
A first-hand evaluation of the latest Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard 9A321 build shows that the new Apple’s operating system is unlikely to be released for public at or around Macworld Expo San Francisco which begins January 9, 2007, the Think Secret reports.
“Overall, performance feels improved with the latest build of Leopard but stability remains a significant issue, even with such basic items as System Preferences or Preview. Apple has also curiously removed keyboard navigation from Spaces in 9A321, suggesting bugs remain to be ironed out with that feature, as well,” according to the report.
The 64-bit version of Windows Vista operating system is for about 10.9 percent faster than 32-bit Vista, according to the GeekBench benchmark for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows platforms.
Both 32-bit and 64-bit tests were done on a budget AMD Sempron 2800+ powered desktop PC, featuring Asus K8U-X motherboard with 512MB of main memory.
Technalign released its new Pioneer Linux operating system to the community. The first release is the 32-bit version to be followed immediately by the 64-Bit version. The released community edition includes many features found previously in Frontier and is available for download at the www.tapioneer.com. The Pioneer 32- and 64-bit include Firefox 2.0, Thunderbird and Kmail email clients, OpenOffice.org, K3b for CD/DVD burning and other.
Technalign has partnered directly with Canonical and is using Kubuntu/Ubuntu as the base. Pioneer is a derivative of Ubuntu and not a fork.
The commercial versions have minor differences between the free version. Individuals may choose from either the free version or a boxed set available from the over 600 Technalign partners in the US and Canada. The boxed set, of course, comes with support while the free version is supported via the community on the TaPioneer website. CrossOver Office is included with several of the boxed sets allowing the end-user the ability to run their favorite Windows applications.
Pioneer EX, or Extended, will be available in the next several weeks as a beta. Plans for Pioneer on Apple G3, G4, and G5 processors is expected shortly as well.
You can join Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates for a live webcast celebrating the worldwide launch of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System.
You can watch the webcast here:
http://www.microsoft.com/events/executives/billgates.mspx
Old page version: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today announces business availability of Windows Vista, the 2007 Office system, and Exchange Server 2007 at a press conference in New York City. The webcast begins at 7:35 a.m. PST / 10:35 a.m. EST.
You can watch it in your Media Player by clicking here:
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Although both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista versions are released to manufacturing, there is still no 64-bit Flash Player, making it impossible to view Flash content in 64-bit web browsers. Adobe says its developers are working on Flash Player support for 64-bit platforms as part of company’s “ongoing commitment to the cross-platform compatibility of Flash Player”. But, Adobe hasn’t yet announced timing or release dates.
The company says users currently must use 32-bit Flash Player in 32-bit browser to view Flash content on a 64-bit operating system. In 64-bit Windows Vista both 64-bit and emulated 32-bit Internet Explorer are installed by default. Linux users must install 32-bit browser and 32-bit Flash Player plug-in on their 64-bit operating systems.
Since 64-bit Linux users downgrade their browsers for years in order to use Flash, and since Microsoft’s 64-bit Vista (retail) and Apple’s 64-bit Mac OS X Leopard operating systems are scheduled to ship in January and spring 2007 respectively, we hope that 64-bit Flash will be released by then.
Windows Vista, the new Microsoft’s operating system, is no longer available for pre-order via Amazon.com.
“Because of a Microsoft request, the many versions of the Windows Vista operating system are not currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com. They are estimated to be available January 30, 2007, and you can sign up at right to be notified via e-mail when Vista becomes available for pre-order. If you’ve already pre-ordered Vista at Amazon.com, your order will be fulfilled when the software is available”, the Windows Vista product pages at Amazon.com say.
With Windows Vista release to computer makers this week, Microsoft starts a harder push on the 64-bit version of the company’s new operating system, said Barry Goffe, director in the Windows client product management team. He said that in order to use the Windows Vista logo, device manufacturers must provide their drivers in both (32-bit and 64-bit) versions. “We’re really making sure that 32-bit and 64-bit are equally good choice[s] for a customer,” Goffe said.
After installing the latest Linux Ubuntu 6.10 distribution, code named Edgy Eft, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions on the same machine, we found that Ubuntu for AMD64 is faster in Zlib benchmark for over 20 percent. However, 32-bit version of popular Linux distribution was faster in MD5 and Blowfish tests for about 19% and 4% percent, respectively.
The benchmarks were done on a budget configuration, featuring AMD Sempron 2800+ processor, Asus K8U-X motherboard, and 512MB of DDR memory. We have benchmarked with Sempron clocked at default 1.6GHz, as same as with 30% overclocked CPU using JumperFree configuration in motherboard’s BIOS.
The forthcoming Microsoft Windows Vista is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com. The Vista will be released on January 30, 2007, according to Amazon.
Here is a simplified list of listed Windows Vista versions.
| Windows Vista Version | Full | Upgrade |
| Windows Vista Home Basic | $199 | $99 |
| Windows Vista Home Premium | $239 | $159 |
| Windows Vista Business | $299 | $199 |
| Windows Vista Ultimate | $399 | $259 |
See full list here: Windows Vista Pre-Order
After Microsoft Senior Program Manager Steve Riley announced that HD DVD and Blu-ray will only play in 64-bit version of forthcoming Windows Vista, because Microsoft intentionally crippled HD DVD and Blu-ray support in Vista 32-bit, Microsoft PR manager Adam Anderson said to CNet that the original statement made by Riley is partially incorrect.
“Any next-generation high definition content will not play in x32 at all. This is a decision that the Media Player folks made because there are just too many ways right now for unsigned kernel mode code [to compromise content protection]. The media companies asked us to do this and said they don’t want any of their high definition content to play in x32 at all, because of all of the unsigned malware that runs in kernel mode can get around content protection, so we had to do this,” Riley said during the TechEd 2006 in Sydney.
But, Anderson says “it is up to the ISVs providing playback solutions to determine whether the intended playback environment, including environments with a 32-bit CPU, meets the performance requirements to allow high-definition playback while supporting the guidelines set forth by the content owners”.
“No version of Windows Vista will make a determination as to whether any given piece of content should play back or not”, Microsoft PR manager tells CNet.
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