The three desktop editions of Windows 8 are sold in two sub-editions: 32-bit and 64-bit. The 32-bit sub-edition runs on CPUs compatible with x86 architecture 3rd generation (known as IA-32) or newer, and can only run 32-bit programs. The 64-bit sub-edition runs on CPUs compatible with x86 8th generation (known as x86-64, or x64) or newer, and can run 32-bit and 64-bit programs. 32-bit programs and operating system are restricted to supporting only 4 gigabytes of memory while 64-bit systems can theoretically support 2048 gigabytes of memory. 64-bit operating system require a different set of device drivers than those of 32-bit operating systems.
The 32-bit edition of Windows 8 is capable of running 16-bit applications, although 16-bit support must be enabled first. 16-bit applications are developed for CPUs compatible with x86 2nd generation, first conceived in 1978. Microsoft started moving away from this architecture since Windows 95.
Windows RT, the only edition of Windows 8 for systems with ARM processors, only supports applications included with the system (such as a special version of Office 2013), supplied through Windows Update, or Windows Store apps, to ensure that the system only runs applications that are optimized for the architecture. Windows RT does not support running IA-32 or x64 applications. Windows Store apps can either be cross-compatible between Windows 8 and Windows RT, or compiled to support a specific architecture.
No comments:
Post a Comment