Do we really need 64-bit computing?

Is the upcoming 64-bit version of Windows XP Desktop Overkill?  I’m surprised that the author even quotes the short-sighted people who say things like “most Windows user do not need anywhere near the amount of addressable memory that a 64-bit OS supplies.”  What idiocy!  Most users don’t need the power and capacity that current 32-bit processors supply!  A 1 GHz Pentium with 512 MB of RAM is more than enough juice for all but developers and the most serious hard-core users.

But need isn’t what it’s all about, is it?  We don’t need DVD players, cars that go 120 MPH, 3,000 square foot houses, or another Democratic Presidential hopeful.  But we have them all, and more, in spades.  The introduction of a 64-bit Windows version is a Good Thing, even if only a handful of people can make use of the considerable power it provides.  It’s those people who push the limits and develop new and better applications.  If other people want the latest and greatest, more power to them—whether they need it or not.

To the poo-poo crowd:  go back to your 386 with 4 megabytes of RAM, fill your 100 megabyte disk drive with dirty pictures, hop in your Yugo and return that Betamax movie you rented.  But leave the technology commentary to people who have some clue what they’re talking about.