16 or 32 Bits: Should It Matter to You?
Windows 95 brings 32-bit code to the party: What are the advantages?
By Jeff Prosise
Not too many weeks ago, an old friend who writes a computer column for a major U.S. newspaper called me with what seemed like a simple question: What's the difference between 16- and 32-bit code? What, he wondered, does the term "32-bit code" really mean, and what if any difference does it make in the speed of an application?
His questions seem particularly relevant in the light of the recent release of Microsoft Windows 95, a 32-bit make-over of Windows 3.1 that runs both 32- and 16-bit applications. If you believe what you read in the trade press, 32-bit applications are supposed to make Windows 95 run better and faster. Yet many users who upgrade their applications from 16 to 32 bits will tell you that there is no discernible speed difference. So which are you to believe: the claims of software vendors and code theorists who proclaim the advantages of 32-bit code, or first-hand experience that says 32-bit Word for Windows doesn't perform any better than the 16-bit version?
To put things in perspective, let's begin by investigating what 32-bit code is and how it differs from 16-bit code. We'll move on from there to discuss speed differences and wrap up by looking at the larger implications 32-bitness (or lack thereof) has for applications hosted by 32-bit operating systems such as OS/2, Windows NT, and Windows 95. If you too are wondering how much difference an additional 16 bits makes, you'll find the journey more than a little enlightening.
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Published as Tutor in the 11/07/95 issue of PC Magazine.
