Re: only x86-64 OS AMD is going to have for a long time is Linux. Microsoft will not be motivated to release a 64-bit OS for the mainstream. Unless, of course, they foolishly decided to collapse their high margins on their server OSs.
Microsoft prices its OS by the number of processors in the box. Having a 64-bit version of windows wouldn't have any effect on Micrsoft ASPs that Microsoft didn't want it to. But it might stimulate more sales of Windows.
And, between StarOffice and Lindows, Microsoft is paying a lot of attention to staying even with, if not ahead of, Linux's feature set. The last thing Microsoft wants is for there to be a basic, obvious to anybody, feature of Linux that makes it twice as good as windows. (64 vs. 32, to be exact).
Microsoft will support X86-64, just wait and see.
Of course, they didn't support the 386 for years, but that didn't stop the 386 from being a breakthrough, breakaway product for Intel. |
