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Where's the Love for Windows XP 64-Bit?
by Aaron Smith on Thursday, January 8 2009A common question to our recent announcement of support for 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 is, "why aren't you supporting Windows XP 64-bit?" Here's the answer: mainly because of driver compatibility issues. Windows XP 64-bit only works on a handful of very specific hardware configurations, and only supports 64-bit kernel mode drivers, which means devices that don't have 64-bit drivers (i.e. the DCM video driver used by all screen readers under XP) simply won't work. Not only will DCM not work, but there are a lot of other hardware devices that do not have 64-bit drivers available. This is something, by the way, that even users of 64-bit versions of Vista will run into -- something I don't think a lot of people realize about 64-bit operating systems. If you buy a 64-bit machine off the shelf right now, chances are you won't run into any problems. If you plan on installing a 64-bit version of Vista on a machine with older hardware (even with a 64-bit processor), you might be in for a big disappointment. In addition, Windows XP 64-bit never gained any market share, so there is very little support for it, hence very little incentive for us to provide access to it, especially considering the wide availability of 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Since DCM isn't used under Windows Vista, it is easier for us to develop, and support, a 64-bit version of Window-Eyes. Another common question I'm getting is, "Will Window-Eyes 7.1 contain any new features for people who aren't using a 64-bit operating system?" The answer: absolutely.
