13th November 2007, 7:27 PM
Well the thing is, NT based systems don't really allow direct access to the hardware layer. That's part of the whole directx thing. It's better that way but since sound card support pretty much requires direct access in the old DOS games (hence why old setup programs needed so much technical info about your sound card back then) you end up with no sound in DOS games. In other words, I actually understand and support the lack of legacy there. These days I actually run a lot of my DOS games in DosBox. It isn't perfect, but it is really starting to narrow in on perfect.
64 bit computing, yeah I will need to update to that eventually. The thing is 32 bit processors could run 16 bit processes just fine. They were tooled to do that. 64 bit can do 32 bit but it isn't really emulation. Rather the only thing it needs to do is add dummy data alongside it to fake a 64 bit program. There used to be issues with 32 bit apps but from what I understand compatibility issues with old 32 bit applications at least are pretty much resolved. I only say that 16 bit support should remain, since a lot of 32 bit apps still use 16 bit installers, a lot of no longer supported but still needed apps.
64 bit computing, yeah I will need to update to that eventually. The thing is 32 bit processors could run 16 bit processes just fine. They were tooled to do that. 64 bit can do 32 bit but it isn't really emulation. Rather the only thing it needs to do is add dummy data alongside it to fake a 64 bit program. There used to be issues with 32 bit apps but from what I understand compatibility issues with old 32 bit applications at least are pretty much resolved. I only say that 16 bit support should remain, since a lot of 32 bit apps still use 16 bit installers, a lot of no longer supported but still needed apps.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)