Looks as if 32-bit computing has one pudgy, incompatible leg in the ground. It’s been on it’s way out for years, but if you look in your computer’s Local Disk drive, you’ll still see a majority of applications reside in the Program Files (x86) folder. Still, support is waning. As SolidBox reported, SolidWorks 2014 will be the last to support 32-bit operating systems. That means, when SolidWorks 2015 is released in Oct/Nov of 2014 and you’re prepping to push the install button, you better be doing it on a computer with a 64-bit OS.
From the SolidWorks 2013 SP4 Release Notes:
Attention 32-Bit OS Users!
SolidWorks 2014, including SolidWorks Enterprise PDM 2014, will be the last release that supports 32-bit operating systems. SolidWorks 2015 and SolidWorks Enterprise PDM 2015 will not install on a 32-bit operating systems.
According to Vajrang Parvate, Director, SolidWorks Product Development at SolidWorks, they still have “~6% of SW2013 users on Win7 32-bit.” Whether that is by choice, ignorance or being held at the mercies of IT department mandates, we don’t know.
Developers are likely ready to move on, put the nail in the 32-bit coffin and put money in development for other operating systems rather than older operating systems. Where do you stand? Do you even care? More importantly, what, if any, strain is this putting on your business?