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IDG News Service - SEATTLE
At its annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) here last week, Microsoft Corp. outlined its latest plans for Longhorn and 64-bit Windows, as well as a proposal designed to help users connect devices via Web services.
Jim Allchin, Microsoft's group vice president of platforms, confirmed during a keynote address that Microsoft has "tied together" development efforts for the client and server versions of Longhorn, the code name for the next major Windows release. Allchin didn't clarify whether aligning development of the Longhorn client and server also means that they will be released simultaneously.
But in March, Bob Muglia, senior vice president of Microsoft's Windows Server division, told Computerworld, "They will almost always ship at different times in the future. Clients need slightly less bake time than servers do."
A first Longhorn beta is still planned for early next year, Allchin said. Although Microsoft has pointed to 2006 as the internal target date for the Longhorn client release, Allchin didn't give a target date for the client or server versions of the software. All WinHEC attendees received a developer preview version of Longhorn.
Also last week, Microsoft announced that it will deliver versions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems in the fourth quarter. Previously, the company had said only that it would ship the software in the second half of the year.

Jim Allchin, Microsoft's group vice president of platforms

Microsoft also plans to release versions of Longhorn for Itanium and 64-bit extended systems as well as a 32-bit edition, according to Greg Sullivan, a lead product manager for Windows.
In a keynote address, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates said he expects that by the end of 2005, nearly all of the processors shipped by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and the majority of the processors Intel Corp. ships will support 64-bit computing.
Gates predicted that the move from 32 to 64 bits will be smoother and faster than previous transitions, which he said were sometimes "messy."
Microsoft executives urged hardware makers to build drivers for the upcoming 64-bit releases of Windows, lest the adoption of 64-bit computing be held back by hardware incompatibilities.
"The app compatibility is good, the OS support is comprehensive. What's the one thing we need? Sixty-four-bit drivers," Allchin said.
Also at WinHEC, Microsoft, Intel, Lexmark International Inc. and Ricoh Corp. detailed new Web services technology that is designed to make it easier for users to connect devices such as printers, digital cameras and digital music players over a network.