Re: [libreoffice-users] Why is there no Windows 64 bit build?

On 03/09/2011 04:20 PM, rabbit.editor wrote:
> Why is there no Windows 64-bit build?
> That's it. just a simple quesion.
>
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> Sent from the Users mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
In my opinion . . . .
For the longest time, even though there was a 64-bit version of Windows, 
computer venders would not install the 64-bit version on their 64-bit 
products due to driver issues.  The current question is - does the 
32-bit package work on the 64-bit OS and how much faster would it be 
using a 64-bit version?

I know that with Ubuntu 64-bit, many 32-bit packages will not run, so we 
need 64-bit packages.  I hate it when I want to use packages like 
Lightscribe, but they only have a 32-bit DEB install.  So to extend that 
reasoning, I would hate to not have a 64-bit package on Windows 64-bit, 
if the 32-bit version did not work.  I assume it does at this point.

Next, how many users of Windows currently have the 64-bit version?  Most 
users of Vista I know of do not have the 64-bit version.  My Dell is 
64-bit processor but they did not offer the Vista 64-bit version for the 
laptop.  Win 7?  How many users have Win 7's 64-bit version?  More than 
Vista I assume.  XP?  No 64-bit version for that either as far as I 
could find when I bought that laptop.  And yes, a lot of people still 
use XP SP2 or SP3.

So now what is needed to take the source code and convert and compile it 
to a 64-bit version.  I do not think it is a easy as just taking the 
32-bit Windows source code and compiling it on a 64-bit Windows 
computer.  I could be wrong, but it is a good guess.  It tends never to 
be that simple.  Even if it was, you would have a 32-bit version 
compiled as a 64-bit version and not coded to take advantage of the full 
64-bit architecture.

That is the real issue for wanting a 64-bit version of the package, 
right?  Having a package rewritten to taking advantage of the 64-bit's 
assets to make the package run faster.

Then we need to ask again, how many of the Windows users need a 64-bit 
version when the 32-bit version works fine? 5%, 10%, 30%???  Since 
LibreOffice has been "officially" out with 3.3.0/3.3.1 for less than two 
months, you may need to give the developers time to deal with what is 
currently on their schedules before they have a chance to develop the 
Windows 64-bit version.  If there comes a time when they get enough 
interest in it by volunteers willing to take on the Win 64-bit version 
project, then you should see one come out quickly enough.

Another question.  Can the 64-bit XP [if there is one], 64-bit Vista, 
and the 64-bit Win 7 use the same 64-bit package?  Of would you need to 
make one for XP, another one for Vista, and a third for Win 7.  I know 
there are major driver issues between the versions, so it could indicate 
that you may need different version of 64-bit Windows packages, one for 
each version.  That could be a problem, who decided which 64-bit version 
to do and which to not do at this point.

I have a friend that never upgraded to MacOSX since it did not work 
"well enough" for her needs and kept crashing on her.  I do not think 
she will ever get a version of LibreOffice for her Mac.  Not enough 
people still using it to make the effort worth the developer's time and 
remainder of their head of hair.  So if there is not enough users 
needing a 64-bit Windows version of LibreOffice, then those people who 
want it, may have a longer wait for that version.

This is all opinion.  What actually decides what platforms are being 
developed for is not something in my bailiwick. But my opinion and view 
is from the 20+ years as a mainframe and early PC programmer.  I do not 
program any more, since my first stroke in the early 1990's, so I do not 
know what the current developers use for deciding what is being done and 
when.


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