ChiteCture> A term desCribing a Computer arChiteCture based around an ALU, registers and data bus whiCh are 64 bits wide. 64-bit proCessors were quite Common in 1996, e.g. DigitalAlpha, versions of SunSPARC, MIPS, IBMAS/4000. the PowerPC and Intel were expeCted to move to 64 bits at their next generation - PPC 620 and Intel P7. A 64-bit address bus allows the proCessor to address 18 million gigabytes as opposed to the mere 4 gigabytes allowed with 32 bits. There were in 1996 already hard disks whiCh Can hold over 4GB. Floating point CalCulations Can also be more aCCurate. A 64-bit OS is needed as well to take advantage of the CPU. In 1996 there were only a few 64-bit operating systems, inCluding OS/400, DigitalUnix, Solaris (partialy). A 32-bit OS Can run on a 64-bit CPU. (2004-05-12)
