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Re: FW: Certain files in the system32 directory are not listed


On Thu, 7 Jun 2007, Brian Dessent wrote:

> Dave Korn wrote:
>
> > "  On 64-bit systems, Windows system files for 64-bit applications are
> > stored in the $WINDIR/System32 directory. To avoid confusion, the
> > system files for 32-bit applications are stored in the
> > $WINDIR/SysWOW64 directory.  "
> >
> >   For crying out loud!  <headdesk>  Did you all get that?  To "avoid
> > confusion", 64-bit executables live in a directory that ends in "32", and
> > 32-bit executables live in a directory that ends in "64".
> >
> >   Obvious really, I can't imagine *why* I didn't think of that myself.
> >
> >   Well, "to avoid confusion", I'm now going to break all five of Bill Gates'
> > fingers.  Meaning all ten.
>
> I know it's hugely out of character to defend Microsoft but I'm going to
> do it anyway.
>
> [snip rational explanation uncharacteristic for this list]
>
> thus the outcome that 32 bit stuff is under WOW64 and "native" 64 bit
> stuff is under the legacy name.

So, what you're saying is that Microsoft is guilty of unfortunate
directory naming?  They should have named it "Legacy32forWOW64" or smth?

> if Microsoft did that they'd have a huge mess on their hands: no
> commercial software vendor would ship "PE-new" versions of their
> binaries because only customers using the latest version of Windows
> could run them.

Isn't this already happening anyway?  Vendors ship apps that are
WinXP-only, or Win2k-only, and soon Vista-only.  With the API
incompatibilities, new apps will not run on older systems.  Having a
different executable format just makes it more explicit.

One possible (slight) advantage is that older apps run unchanged on newer
systems with the current scheme (modulo deprecated APIs).  But that effect
can also be achieved by an emulation layer in the case of a new executable
format.  This does not absolve Microsoft of the PE mess.

[insert obligatory hippo reference here]
	Igor
-- 
				http://cs.nyu.edu/~pechtcha/
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