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Release Version x64


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Development of Service Pack 2 for XP really put a dent in the Vista development timetable, but I think we can all agree that no XP user should be without SP2 at this point.

As to XP x64, remember that real, production x64 hardware has only been available en masse for the last 2.5 years or so, and there are two different implementations of that architecture (Intel's EM64T and AMD's x64). Windows XP x64 is actually the same codebase as Server 2003 x64, with some memory and cache tweaks to make it more "workstation-like". All (and I mean ALL) Windows Server 2003 binaries had to be recompiled and tested on x64 hardware, as well as making sure that the WoW64 architecture ran most 32bit applications on a 64bit OS.

Vista will also ship in 32 and 64bit versions, as will Longhorn server, making these likely the last OS products Microsoft will ship in 32bit variants. I know we can all pound on Vista for being late and having a shorter feature-set than it originally was slated to have, but x64 has nothing to do with this. Vista is a new OS, XP and Server 2003 x64 is a recompile of an existing codebase, not new code.

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small correction ::

XP x64 is server 2003 SP1 code base

Actually, Server 2003 x64 is based on the Server 2003 SP1 codebase, as is Windows XP x64. I was mentioning that they're the same codebase, not where they came from (which is indeed the same place, Server 2003 SP1). I'm not sure there's any correction needed there.

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It's still an NT kernel, based on the same kernel 2000, XP, and 2003 have been based on (with all the requisite upgrades, tweaks, and changes since NT of course, and a few new ones). Vista is not a new product kernel-wise, but the GDI interface, file system goodies, and a few other apps are new.

Edited by cluberti
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Yes, but think of it this way: Windows 2000 was 5.0.2195, whereas NT4 was 4.0.1381, but they were still based on the same kernel - the same kernel that Vista is based off of. I would hope in 10 years (and two major revision builds from 4.0.1381 to 6.0.<whatever the final build number here will be>) would have heavy modifications :).

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