Author Topic: 32-bit os  (Read 1090 times)

Siplus

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32-bit os
« on: 9 April 2003, 07:42 »
ok, this may be a stupid question, but i've been wondering for awhile:

what exactly does '32-bit' mean (as far as os's go). is it how much information can be processed by the operating system or something?

as i've been reading different articles about many different things, i've seen references to 16-bit, 32-bit and 64-bit, (mainly 32bit windows, and someone thinking about redesigning nix oses to 64 bit or something like that because of a time flaw in unix like y2k was for windows...)

i'm not looking for anything in depth, but if you would offer i'd be grateful. i just want a short explaination if anyone is willing to give me 2 minutes of their time...


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Calum

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32-bit os
« Reply #1 on: 9 April 2003, 14:00 »
it means how many bits can be transferred in one "mouthful".

imagine the bits (binary units) are arriving in groups of eight. they can only be one or zero, so they can only express 256 different combinations, if they arrive in groups of 16 they can describe 32768 different combinations and so on. imagine it like a recording studio. imagine recording an album using a tape recorder that can playback eight tracks at a time. now imagine what you could do if you could play back 24 traks at a time.

oh well, i can't do better than that, over to somebody else?

edit: fixed the number to reflect the real number of combinations a 16 bit number can express. my original figure was for a 17 bit number.

[ April 09, 2003: Message edited by: Calum: crusader for peace & freedom ]

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Pantso

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32-bit os
« Reply #2 on: 9 April 2003, 17:27 »
Well, it's exactly what Calum mentioned. Basically, you know that what your computer really understands is ones and zeros. When the circuit is powered, it's in state 1 and when it's not it's in state 0. Thus, every piece of data, that is served to a computer must be translated into the only language it understands, and that is the flow of current, as I mentioned above. This process is called coding.

By combining those 1 and 0 digits, the computer can create letters, symbols etc. Those ones and zeros are called binary digits or bits. The computer also manages a set of bits as a byte, which in turn corresponds to a letter, number or symbol.

A set of 8 bits, forms a byte. In the case of 32bit OSes, the computer simply manages a set of four bytes, which is 32 bits and thus can handle more data.    Hope that covers it and that I didn't confuse you more.    ;)

[ April 09, 2003: Message edited by: Panos ]


devlkore

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32-bit os
« Reply #3 on: 9 April 2003, 21:35 »
Ok, I understand everything so far, but then how can you have things like 64bit encryption and so on, on a 32bit OS?
sono sain wa nihongo desu

Calum

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« Reply #4 on: 9 April 2003, 22:00 »
well, when talking about 64 bit encryption, imagine the following:

there are sixty four bits all standing in a row, and each one can be either a one or a zero. the number of combinations this can create is 9223372036854775808 so basically anybody trying to crack this will need to try that many combinations (and it's a lot, is it over a few googolplex? i lose count after the trillions).
64 bit encryption sounds like it might be twice as good as 32 bit encryption but actually if you got 32 bits and made them all stand in a row, bearing in mind that each one could be a one or a zero, the total number of combinations they could express would be 2147483648 which is actually 4294967296 times less possible variety (than a 64 bit number) if this calculator is to be believed.

Now the next thing to do is determine the difference between 32 bit processing and 32 bit expressions. if i had a continuous stream of data and it was being expressed as 32 bit data, then a 32 bit processor would be fine to have that data run in and out all along the 32 lane highway (metaphorically) leading to and from the CPU, but if i wanted to process a 64 bit stream i would need to send the first 32 bits and then the next 32 bits, and get the processor to try and add them together internally to recreate the 64 bit original thing. Then whatever calculations need to be performed need to be done via some software that knows how not to get a 64 bit thing messed up while it's inside a 32 bit processor (i think, my knowledge of processors is limited*). this is going to be slow and buggy compared with using a 32 bit stream of data on a 32 bit processor or a 64 bit stream of data on a 64 bit processor.

one 64 bit exprsssion however can be dealt with a lot easier (by a mere 32 bit processor) than a constant barrage of data though. after all, we are only talking about one actual number here (as opposed to the stream of data we had in the last paragraph), and depending on the encryption algorithms, there's probably not a huge deal of calculation got to be done with it. you can just split it up into two halves and send the halves in one after the other, it reaches the processor as two seperate 32 bit 'words'** and can be processed by software that is sympathetic to the fact that it is dealing with one 64 bit number inside a 32 bit processor. again, it'll be slower because of all the adding and so on that needs to be done to make sure it works out right, but with today's multibillionjigawattamphertz computers, it's hardly a noticable difference, unless you have a continuous stream of such 64 bit numbers, see above (example, ever tried to play an N64 ROM on an emulator on a 32 bit computer? well now you know why).

*nonexistent
** since 16 bit processors came along, people have been saying "words" where they used to say "bytes" - this is because everybody knows a byte is one chunk of 8 bits, so they needed to come up with a term that means a 'bite' of data, but can be more than 8 bits. 'word' works fine. except you need to specify '16 bit word' or '64 bit word' or people won't know what you are on about.

[ April 09, 2003: Message edited by: Calum: crusader for peace & freedom ]

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rtgwbmsr

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32-bit os
« Reply #5 on: 10 April 2003, 00:56 »
9.22 Quintillion combinations (US/Scientific Community)
9.22 Trillion (The rest of the world)

Not bad...

[ April 09, 2003: Message edited by: The Muffin Man ]


HPC GUY

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32-bit os
« Reply #6 on: 10 April 2003, 01:01 »
windows 3.1 and dos are examples of 16 bit Oses.
Windows98 is an example of 32 bit os and Solaris and The new windows (longhorn) are examples of 64 bit oses.
"if i destroyed you, i would only be perpetuating your legacy" - Me

Siplus

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32-bit os
« Reply #7 on: 10 April 2003, 01:27 »
quote:
(example, ever tried to play an N64 ROM on an emulator on a 32 bit computer? well now you know why)

could that be why if you try to emulate console games (are ps2/xbox 32 or 64?) on a computer they don't run as well?

edit:hmm, forget about that question. i didn't think N64=ninteno64, which is a console. forgive my ignorance

[ April 09, 2003: Message edited by: Siplus: *Capitalist* ]



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Kintaro

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32-bit os
« Reply #8 on: 10 April 2003, 02:22 »
XBox emulators could go really well if you made a good vm with kernel hooks (like vmware) because the xbox has a intel cpu.

The gamecube, n64, ps/2 will run ok on the more powerful systems.

Kintaro

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32-bit os
« Reply #9 on: 10 April 2003, 02:26 »
Binary:

(here is a 4 bit binary number which is 16 in decimal under it are the decimal numbers)
1111
8421

and 8+4+2+1=16

if the binary number was

0001
8421
0+1=1

or

0101
8421
4+1=5

here is a 16 bit number:
0000000010000000
That is 128 in decimal.

Doogee

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32-bit os
« Reply #10 on: 13 April 2003, 16:57 »
ps2 is 128 bit

cloudstrife

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32-bit os
« Reply #11 on: 13 April 2003, 21:45 »
no, i believe ps2's CPU is actually 64 bit.  Its GRAPHICS chip, however, is 128 bit.  Same with Gamecube.