In trying to get my head around the build process on Windows, I find myself asking 'what is the rationale for continuing to maintain 32bit on Windows'.

On Thursday, 3 February 2022 at 01:42:54 UTC, forkit wrote:
> In trying to get my head around the build process on Windows, I find myself asking 'what is the rationale for continuing to maintain 32bit on Windows'.

I would imagine it's because Windows 10 still offers a 32-bit version. After Microsoft drops support for Windows 10 at some point in the future, it will likely disappear as a build option.

On Friday, 4 February 2022 at 10:14:13 UTC, Tejas wrote:
>
> ..
> ...
> 32 bit windows support will not survive this decade.

Support for 32bit Windows will end long before the end of this decade. Microsoft will make sure of that, one way or another.

I kinda think the 'Windows' brand is getting a bit long in the tooth actually, and I genuinely wonder whether the 'Windows' brand will survive this decade.

But I would like to see D on Windows, be 64bit only, sooner rather than later.

On Friday, 4 February 2022 at 10:47:13 UTC, forkit wrote:
> On Friday, 4 February 2022 at 10:14:13 UTC, Tejas wrote:
>>
>> ..
>> ...
>> 32 bit windows support will not survive this decade.
>
> Support for 32bit Windows will end long before the end of this decade. Microsoft will make sure of that, one way or another.

End of support for 32-bit Windows doesn't imply end of support for 32-bit applications on 64-bit Windows.

>
> I kinda think the 'Windows' brand is getting a bit long in the tooth actually, and I genuinely wonder whether the 'Windows' brand will survive this decade.
>
> But I would like to see D on Windows, be 64bit only, sooner rather than later.

That reminds me of the predictions that 8-bit CPUs would be soon obsolete. 8-bit MCU market is still growing, and D is barely presented there.

On Thursday, 3 February 2022 at 01:42:54 UTC, forkit wrote:
> In trying to get my head around the build process on Windows, I find myself asking 'what is the rationale for continuing to maintain 32bit on Windows'.

Audio software is a bit special in that regards, a lot of 32-bit plugins from the past are hidden gems, and if you have entrenched production habits you can't move easily to 64-bit on Windows. (Though 32-bit it was wiped from the macOS scene quite quickly.)

Example amongst hundreds: Dominion http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=4 is still often cited as one of the best transient shaper.

Around the 2000s there were a cambrian explosion of Windows 32-bit VST that still has value for today production. When producing music I actively resort to 32-bit software, including those I made with D in 2022.

Would it hurt if 32-bit was removed from D? Not much, we would manage to call an older compiler. It has to be balanced with the small opportunity loss though.

On Thursday, 3 February 2022 at 01:42:54 UTC, forkit wrote:
> 'what is the rationale for continuing to maintain 32bit on Windows'.

We are still very much dependent on a compiler capable of generating 32bit executables. Being translated from Pascal with roots dating back many decades, our code regrettably assumes pointers to be four bytes in size in many places. We will be working to rid us of this technical debt, but it will take years.

— Bastiaan.

On Friday, 4 February 2022 at 20:33:14 UTC, Bastiaan Veelo wrote:
> On Thursday, 3 February 2022 at 01:42:54 UTC, forkit wrote:
>> 'what is the rationale for continuing to maintain 32bit on Windows'.
>
> We are still very much dependent on a compiler capable of generating 32bit executables. Being translated from Pascal with roots dating back many decades, our code regrettably assumes pointers to be four bytes in size in many places. We will be working to rid us of this technical debt, but it will take years.
>
> — Bastiaan.

In looking at the whole process of building on Windows, it does feel like it's carrying a big ball and chain .. and anyone who gets involved in it, needs to carry that as well ;-(

At some point of course, the continual effort exerted in dragging it, will eventually catch up with you, and stop you from moving forward.