>>>>>>wow, I guess I need to work overtime to start saving for this type of laptop! :). What would be the advantages of using the 64 bit OS?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>32 bit can only address 3gig ram.... 64 bit basically unlimited
>>>>
>>>>At least that's what it seems to be like *now*. Back when 32-bit was introduced, 4GB limit seemed essentially unlimited.
>>>>
>>>>It's a weird feeling when you look at a cell phone today and realize that you've probably got more computing capacity in your hand than what you had sitting on your desk only 20 years ago...
>>>
>>>even only a dozen years ago - Win98 was current for all not already on to NT.
>>>A PC had 64 or 128 MB, as W98 would run into problems around 750 MB in the next century...
>>
>>No matter how much memory we have, Microsoft always seems to rise to the challenge ;-)
>>
>>I was telling someone the other day about IBM mainframe hard drives circa 1980. They were the size of a washing machine, cost tens of thousands of dollars, and had a capacity of about 50 MB. And they needed to be in a temperature controlled room.
>>
>>Don't even get me started about punch card decks. If you put one of those old time programmers in front of VS 2010 and SQL Server they would think they had died and gone to heaven.
>
>My very first programming job (1976 or 77) was for a company that balanced the accounts for banks using punch cards........eeeewwwwww..... I remember the owner telling me that one day no one would be writing checks anymore and we would all carry around a little card with our information on it and we would just swipe it to withdraw money. :o) He got the swipe card right but folks have not given up completely on handwritten checks yet either. I'm surprised when I come across a business that doesn't accept debit or credit cards but they do still exist (the ones who don't want to pay the fees)

Wow, you got started early. My first computer job was in 1980 and I wandered into that one. Being a software developer was never my plan until I was one. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have a low threshold of boredom and you will never get bored for long in this business. My idea of hell is doing the exact same thing for 40 years. The constant change may bring its own challenges -- like now! -- but I wouldn't trade it for any other line of work.