I tend to forget the 32bit versions of Vista and Win7 exist. There isn't really any reason to use them. The 64bit versions are only likely to run into extra compatibility issues with very old programs that need to integrate themselves with pretty low-level system functions. So, no 15 year old hardware drivers. That sort of thing isn't really a concern for most people though. I think XP64 had some nasty compatibility issues, but it's not like it was really intended for mainstream users.

The business side of things still use 16-bit applications (custom, written in house) hence a lot of corporations, if they do roll out Win7, use the 32-bit version. I'm still waiting on proper drivers for my Cisco Web Cam at work for Win7 64-bit so I can reinstall my office workstation (everything else runs fine in a VM, save for that camera which I need with the Cisco WebEx communicator for meetings on the other side of the country).

So for consumers? Correct no real need to not run 64-bit, but the corporate side still has a lot of lingering issues.

Yup, that was my impression. It's almost the exact opposite of the situation with XP64. If you didn't KNOW that you had a reason to NEED XP64, then chances were extremely good that you didn't. Now, if you don't KNOW that you have a reason to AVOID Win7 64, then chances are very good that you don't. Very few people with PCs that will even run Win7 will have anything that doesn't work. Even if they do, it's not like they will have to redesign part of their infrastructure to replace it.

Well, it's true that with my way of thinking, the no-DRM argument is less important. After all, these old games didn't come with DRM originally, still we're buying them again because it's more convenient. Maybe in 10 or 15 years, these Gog files will not be as convenient as today and we will prefer to buy the games again in another form, who knows? When I pay 6$ for a gog, I just consider it's 6$ for a playthrough in the present. I don't really buy the no-DRM thing, even if it's a good thing.

The no DRM issue is extremely important to me, but to the issue of the implications of Windows 8, I know exactly what they will be to me: I will be one OS behind.

The cow can only be milked so many times, and I'm sure my clients feel the same.

damn straight.. were doing a multi-million lease upgrade as we speak to windows 7 from XP.... W7 is basically the new XP as far as stability goes... personally and professionally i will not be switching from 7 anytime soon.

the only reason they are doing this is to milk the tablet market and add in there "store" there is no other reason...

Totally agree. Smart call and transition from my perspective.

Wait, what? While these games may not have had what we currently know as DRM (online activations, limited installs, required client software, etc.), they did have what passed for DRM at the time: disk checks, serial keys, code wheels, those stupid "look up a word on this page of the manual" things. Some of them might not have used anything like that, but vast majority of them did.

Ah yes... the blinking cursor, sitting in a box waiting for word 6, in the second paragraph, on page 3.

Can remember the feeling when I first encountered it: what the hell is this? grabbed the manual and thought, this isn't going to make it.

Windows 8 is just a new minor update (or so it seems) to the Windows Vista core - let's call it NT 6.2. So I'm not worried at all for my old games (and emulators) that still runs on NT 6.

As for the tiled interface taken from WP7: I hope Apple will burn in its own ashes within the next few years and all this smartphone/tablet shit will go the same fate....

I think there will always be some dude that makes those work. And windows 8. I use 7.. So windows 8, meh.
And I like the policy here in gog. pay once, you own it even it doesn't isn't in your hard drive. And mostly I like gog because we don't need another application to play games.. well ScummVM but that comes with a game.
If their servers go haywire, then I'll be pissed. But those are some cheap classic games. Some of them you don't find anywhere. And there are for most of them some widescreen or resolution mods. Of course there can be problems with compatibility but we have those even now with any old game. And it's nice that if they get it we can have a soundtrack.

ScummVM is cross platform and already runs on ARM systems.
I think Dosbox has ports to other CPUs but performance could be a problem.

i wish people would ignore such things as windows 8...

i have had my windows xp for 6 years and got windows 7 recently no way i will be dumping it so soon

Hah.. That's what i'm gonna do. =)
So it's even hit the papers already. Pardon my ignorance, but did we just got 7. So plough the microsoft.

Edit: Win 7 is not bad but it not differ much vista.. when it was servicepacked enough.
Fastest still is xp but nowadays it's the few games that puts technology forward. And that's their scheme.
Nice nick. All i got to say.. Nice going Snake. That's one SOB to die. MGS 3 should have been to pc but no.. Well, I played that with smile on my face with my PS2. But now if I wanted to play that again, fuck I have ps2 but i don't have a TV.