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What development system is your software written under.
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The software is written using Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 using the C-Sharp Programming Language (initially released 2003).
We write the software in Text and when we do a "Build" the Visual Studio converts this to a form that can be quickly understood by the Dot Net Framework.
When your run our software, it is converted from an intermediate text format (sometimes called p-code) into actual machine commands by the dot net framework.
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Does your software run on Microsoft Vista or Windows-7, 64 bit Windows system when using the free or professional license?
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The Free and Pro license versions allow you to connect to the free MS dbJet database.
Currently our customers advise that our version 4.4 when installed on 64 bit computers can connect to dbJet database.
We recently upgraded our development system from MS Visual Studio 2005 to 2008, and Version 4.4 was the last build done with VS-2005.
We are still working on getting our VS-2008 software to connect to the dbJet database. (dbJet is also used by MS-Office software Access, Outlook and Powerpoint).
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Will your downloaded free personal version software run correctly on Windows Vista 64 bit?
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Yes, but currently only if you download the version 4.4.
However some of the newer 64 bit computers are able to work in 32 bit mode.
So the answer to this question is that it can depend to some extent on your own computer.
Licensed versions of our software can connect to Microsoft 64 bit SQL Server.
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What database system do you recommend for 64 bit operation?
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Microsoft SQL-Server (64 bit version) would be required.
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We still want to evaluate the latest version of your software as a free personal version, and then possibly buy the MS-SQL version later. What should we do?
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You will need to have a computer that can run the Microsoft dbJet database system (as used in Outlook, Access and other Office 2003/2007 software).
Our suggestion is to find an old 32 bit Windows computer and use this machine for evaluating our software.
Alternatively use a computer that contains a processor which can switch back to 32 bit mode.
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Why are 64 bit computer systems being brought onto the market?
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As Windows has become larger it has become necessary for the computer processor to...
1. Run faster and 2. Directly & randomly address more memory
(RAM = random access memory).
The computer can run faster by having a wider 64 bit "word" so that simple concurrent instructions can be stacked side-by-side into the one word. (There is a name for this: "Horizontal Microprogramming".)
The computer can also run faster if it can directly access more memory because memory overflow does not have to be swapped to and from the hard disk.
The capability of the computer to directly address memory locations depends on the width of the computer "word".
One such word is the "Memory Address Register" (MAR) which contains the memory address that is being read from or written to.
The 32-bit MAR can count from zero up to a maximum of 2 to the power of 32.
2^32 = 1024 x 1024 x 1024 x 4 = 4 Gigabytes.
So if you want to run 32 Gigabytes of Memory (RAM) then you will need a larger MAR, and the manufacturers are going direct to 64 bits as hardware is now cheap and this allows then to stack two 32 bit words horizontally for better 32 bit compatibility.
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How much computer memory (RAM) can a 64-bit computer directly and randomly address?
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The answer to this is "A LOT".
If you want to know the exact answer, here is an exercise that you can do.
1. Start the Calculator on your PC.
2. Switch it to View -> Scientific mode.
3. Enter in 2 and then click the button x^y and then enter 64
4. Then click =
5. Repeatedly Divide the result by 1024 THREE times and the result gives the number of Gigabytes.
The number should be 17,179,869,184 Gigabytes which is much more than the current 32-bit maximum of 4 Gigabytes.
This is 16,777,216 Terrabytes or 16 Mega-Terrabytes or 16 Mega-Mega-Megabytes.
Each byte has 8 bits and this allows you to store one character from a character set of 256 letters. (each bit can have a value of 0 or 1).
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