Microsoft faces 64-Bit challenge
PC World | at | by Mike
Microsoft's first operating system designed for the corporate data center has garnered sparse acceptance since its release last year, but the software is on the verge of a performance upgrade that experts say could put it on the road to corporate recognition. Early next year Microsoft plans to release Windows.Net Server 2003 Datacenter, a 64-bit operating system that will boast more addressable memory for high-level transaction processing and up to 25 percent better performance compared with the 32-bit version. The 32-bit version of Datacenter was intended to be Microsoft's answer to 64-bit Unix systems and mainframes in corporate data centers. It's sold as a hardware and software combination through system vendors, such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, NEC, or Unisys, which guarantee the stability of the package through rigorous testing and certification.