The advent of ‘64-bit computing’ is about to shake things up on the desktop just as it did with servers and high-end workstations in the late 1990s. But what is it, how do you get it, and will it make any difference to the way Adobe products works?

Put simply, 64-bit computing is all about ‘memory addressing’ or how a computer points to and manages data in memory. While this doesn’t sound very exciting, the impact on creative applications is immense. If you work with very large files - let’s say high-resolution images or pro-class digital video - a 64-bit computer will be able to process them much faster.

The jump from conventional 32-bit computing to 64-bit is not a doubling of speed, though: it’s an exponential explosion in performance and capability. For example, instead of just a few gigabytes, a 64-computer has the logical potential of working with hundreds of gigabytes of physical memory, not to mention multiple terabytes of disk-based virtual memory. Also, with the widening of the data bottleneck, dual and quad-core systems will increasingly become the norm.

To take advantage of all this promise, your computer needs three basic elements: a 64-bit processor, a 64-bit operating system, and application software that has been designed to take advantage of the first two.

The major chipset manufacturers have begun issuing desktop editions of their 64-bit processors, previously sold only for server use. These include Intel’s Xeon and Itanium, not to mention AMD’s Opteron, Turion 64 and Athlon 64. The PowerPC 970 inside Apple’s Power Mac G5 series is a 64-bit processor too.

As for operating systems, Apple users have a head start because Mac OS X is already based on 64-bit technology. Being easily scalable, the open source GNU/Linux operating system is also 64-bit happy.

Microsoft Windows on the desktop is still stuck at 32-bit, however, despite the existence of 64-bit server versions and even a (very rare) 64-bit desktop edition of Windows XP Professional. This will change later in 2006 when Microsoft finally releases its new 64-bit version of Windows, known as VIsta.

The good news is that software developers, Adobe in particular, have been preparing for this day by progressively introducing 64-bit support within their products. Many functions within Adobe Photoshop and After Effects, for example, take advantage of 64-bit performance under Mac OS X 10.4. Not least, 64-bit computing is likely to be the final kicker that sends the HD video format into the mainstream, a technology that Adobe has already been championing within Premiere Pro, After Effects and Encore DVD.

Naturally there will be a transition period, but as you begin to realise the potential that 64-bit hardware and software upgrades can achieve, you won’t want to go back.