6 Responses

1. Warren

   30|Oct|2009 1

   I think VMWare/VirtualPC box running Windows 98 would give you sufficient Dos/Win3/Win98 app compatibility on Windows 7 or Windows Vista 64bit.

   Warren

2. Anthony Frazier

   30|Oct|2009 2

   The primary, overriding reason is that x86-64 CPUs running in long mode cannot switch into virtual 8086 mode, which is what the NTVDM and current 16-bit support are based on.

   MS would have to rewrite the NTVDM and 16-bit support in order to get them to work in 64-bit Windows by virtualizing much of the CPU, and they’d still have massive back-compat issues.

   Or they could just point at Virtual PC and friends and call it good enough, which makes a hell of a lot more sense than trying to reimplement that stuff.

3. Thomas Mueller

   31|Oct|2009 3

   The only 16 bit Windows program that I still use is DBase. But there are quite a few DOS programs.

4. murphy

   31|Oct|2009 4

   I started Turbo Pascal for Windows in Windows 7 32bit recently. Sure i’m not using it really… It was only a test.

5. Christian Wimmer

   31|Oct|2009 5

   I wonder if the XP VM Mode in Win7 is capable of running 16bit apps seamlessly on Windows 64bit?

6. Ken Knopfli

   02|Nov|2009 6

   I know of two dentists that use a DBase/Clipper based patient system. And I still like to play with Borland’s Eureka.

   We have machine control systems that run on 16 bits. I have no idea who is going to rewrite those, nor who is going to pay for, basically, no additional functionality.