Microsoft has made no bones about its plans to release new 64-bit versions of Windows client and server in the next couple of months. But until now, the company has said little about its schedule for porting some of its own applications to 64-bit systems.
During the past couple of weeks, Microsoft has begun to inform customers and partners of its 64-bit migration strategy for SQL Server, Exchange Server, BizTalk, Virtual PC and Virtual Server, and other key enterprise applications. Microsoft isn't expected to expound on its roadmap at next week's Intel Developer Forum. But the Redmond, Wash., software vendor's 64-bit plans and positioning nonetheless will loom large over the San Francisco show.
While Microsoft will continue to support 32-bit applications for the foreseeable future, within the next couple of years both the desktop and server worlds are going to be 64-bit, according to the Microsoft world view.
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