64-bit Windows on the way

Microsoft has released a number of 64-bit operating systems to manufacturing, including Windows XP Professional, in time for a scheduled release in late April, reports ExtremeTech.

Microsoft says further details about the new operating systems will be released at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference later this month.

The 64-bit operating system has been long awaited by Advanced Micro Devices, whose 64-bit Athlon and Opteron microprocessors have been forced to run on beta versions of the operating system.

Over 8 000 developers have been trained on 64-bit Windows, and Microsoft says in the coming weeks the company will start accepting software application submissions for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

Red Hat`s revenue increased by more than half in the fourth quarter due to increased subscriptions to its Linux operating system.

News.com reports that Red Hat`s revenue for the three months ended 28 February was $57.5 million, up 56% compared with the same period last year.

Red Hat has attributed the growth to an increase in contracts for its Linux operating system and related services among corporate customers. The company reported 175 000 new and renewed subscriptions in the fourth quarter, saying the momentum in the Linux marketplace remained strong.

Live television, video streaming and the transmission of large files to phones are now possible nearly everywhere in Switzerland, reports The Register.

Swisscom has announced a broadband mobile network based on EDGE technology with nationwide coverage. EDGE data rates are three times faster than GPRS and increase mobile bandwidth from 30Kbps to as much as 200Kbps, but the network requires specially enabled mobile phones.

EDGE complements Swisscom Mobile`s existing technology mix, which includes UMTS and WLAN. UMTS requires a new infrastructure of base stations, making the technology far more expensive than EDGE, which is based on the existing GSM technology.

Swisscom Mobile says it remains committed to UMTS as the technology of the future. The company`s UMTS network supplies 90% of the Swiss population and is complemented by more than 800 WLAN hotspots enabling high bandwidths in some locations.

Amazon.com is deploying Linux-based business intelligence (BI) tools to improve the efficiency of its financial budgeting, forecasting and reporting, reports News.com.

The report says the move reaffirms Amazon`s commitment to open source after switching to a Linux-based infrastructure from Windows several years ago. Amazon says the company`s commitment to Linux, the solution`s Web services architecture, and its open data strategy were all key factors in its selection.