What is 64 bit software in Custom Software Development

What is native 64bit software? 
Native in the computing world is a term used to describe true compatibility. When something is native as in this case software, it means it’s meant to work completely in a specific environment without any compatibility patching. So native 64-bit software means it will work only if it’s installed on 64-bit operating system version. When going with a custom software development for your business or company, it is important you understand the benefits and drawbacks of native 64-bit software.

64-bit vs 32-bit Basics
In computer world, 64-bit and 32-bit refer to the type of central processing unit or CPU, operating system and drivers/applications. You have probable seen the option to download as piece of software as a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version. While the software is essentially the same, the major difference lies in the face that two are programmed for different systems.

32-bit systems utilize data in 32-pieces while 64-bit systems utilize data in 64-pieces. This means data can be processed at more faster rate with 64-bit systems giving increasing performance of the application. In addition, 64-bit systems come with ability to use significantly use greater amounts of physical memory.

Most new processors today are based on 64-bit architecture and support 64-bit operating systems. Yet operating systems and software are still come in 32-bit versions. All 64-bit processors can support 32-bit OS and applications though it is not true of the opposite. A 32-bit processor cannot run a 64-bit operating system and also a 32-bit operating system cannot run a 64-bit application.

However, remember that 32-bit versions of programs can run just fine on a 64-bit operating system. You don’t necessarily need 64-bit applications just because you are using a 64-bit operating system.


Understanding the importance of native 64-bit software 
The benefits of 64-bit hardware can be fully obtained only if you use native 64-bit software that is designed to use all features of the 64-bit hardware. You would need a whole 64-bit environment consisting of both hardware and software components to get optimum benefits, though conversion to 64-bit hardware can alone improve the performance somewhat. 

The primary benefit of using native 64-bit software application on 64-bit operating system is its ability to allocate and use more memory and speed. A 32-bit software version can only address/use at most only 2GB of system memory though it may have as high as 16GB RAM installed. A native 64-bit application, on the other hand, can access/allocate at least 8TB (terabytes) of memory.


How do you know if a program is natively 64-bit? 
The native 64-bit version of software is usually labeled as x64 version though rarely it is also mentioned as x86-64 version.

If any software doesn’t mention about being 64-bit, it is almost guaranteed to be 32-bit software. Most software is 32-bit, though it isn’t always explicitly mentioned. Also 32-bit software can run as well enough on both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.


Summary
While most of the processors today we buy are 64-bit, the software still continues to come as 32-bit. The software migration to native 64-bit has been happening though somewhat slowly lately over the past few years. Digital content creation, CAD/CAM, software development and visualization and gaming industry are some of the markets that have embraced the 64-bit with open arms. 

If your software only supports 32-bit operating systems, you are constraining the ability of your software. We are a custom software development company that provides you with complete solution to build high quality software as per your requirements. 

How to Keep Yourself Up to Date as a Software Developer

How to Keep Yourself Up to Date as a Software Developer

Software Development is a very dynamic industry and we can’t compare it with other industries. If you are a developer then you can sign up to a GitHub account and start doing whatever you want after obviously understanding the basics of how computers and programming works. Most of the tools you need are free and lots of knowledge is available online. There are already 7.8 million public GitHub repositories available today.

As a software developer working in some technology, we generally give this a lot of thought how to stay up to date. For a software developer it is very important to keep learning and this learning is not just about working with a new technology but it is also about learning  the concepts behind these technologies and what problems they are trying to solve. The time you can spend on these things depends on your own situation. You can spend time with your family but you should also be passionate about software development. Hence maintaining a balance is the key.

As you have to spend a large part of your day time at work hence it is important to have an employer that encourages you to spend time to stay up to date and grow yourself. At work, there can be some developer conferences, seminars or presentation days to share experiences and learning new concepts and ideas. As knowledge and skills are biggest assets of a software developer hence standing still is not a right choice.

Software Development industry is rapidly evolving hence it might now always be easy to keep up with all the changes and newly introduced technologies, practices and concepts. In this article, I will share some of the ways, resources and tools which you can use to stay up to date. I hope this will be helpful to you. Some of these tools and resources are:-

Community Membership :
As a software developer one of the best thing you can do to stay up to date is by joining some tech communities as a member. For example if you are a WordPress developer then after joining the WordPress community you can expand your plugin and theme development. You can also contribute to the WordPress core, organize meetups and WordCamps etc. By this way you can meet thousands of WordPress community members in different roles which can also teach you a lot about best practice in WordPress, PHP, JS, MySQL and also about other areas like Cloud Hosting.

Doing Self Projects and R&D:
You must be hearing a lot about new technologies and concepts but it is also important to try it out. Working on self projects or spending some time doing R&D is a great way to give a platform/tool or library a chance and understand how it relates to your present work. You can build many internal tools which are platform independent to test something. After building these tools you can offer these to other developers for free to use.

Blogs :
You can search and find the most popular blogs for your particular technical skill and the tools you use. Go through the latest posts and see if there is something which reflects the innovation in that tech space. Some of the best popular blogs to follow are:- Hacker News, Slashdot, Recode, DZone, diginomica and more. You can also find some updates and press releases published on Techcrunch or Mashable and know about latest tools and concepts. Product Hunt is one of the useful option for recent releases. You have to dig into what they have launched.

Podcasts :
If you travel a lot daily, do running in the morning or like to listen to something while doing something then podcasts are a great way to keep yourself up to date. There are so many web and software development podcasts like The Bug Web Show, Modern Web, FiveJS, Sitepoint podcast, HTTP 203, The Changelog, Herding Code and many more which discuss technologies. You can find some podcast expert covering indepth about your favorite technology. You can browse iTunes or your favorite podcast client/app or search online.

Local and Virtual Events :
In order to stay up to date, attending conferences and meetups is very helpful. If you can visit the best ones internationally then it would be great. Some developers have attended more than hundred conferences and meetups to learn new things. Attending something related to what you do may be very beneficial and in some case enlightening. Just think of events discussing security, hosting, open source technologies or even usability and design. Other then the regular sessions, meeting people during the breaks or at lunch/dinner could be awesome. So many developers have become friends by meeting like minded individuals at these events moreover they have also learned about the latest trends in the market.

Books:
Some people may like to follow some blogs to learn something instead of reading books but actually books can be more beneficial for exploring a technical topic in depth. One thing about development is that the industry evolves very fast and writing a book may take years. But there are many books about software development which are evergreen and you must read them anyway. Now even the independent book publishing is possible and someone can publish a PDF in few hours. This leads to the large collection of titles which are latest and up to date. You can even learn a lot from other related topics which are not directly related to your day to day work.

Social Media :
Twitter steam is an unlimited source of ideas, opinions and links to interesting topics. It is almost instant and the amount of content during a day can be amazing. You should be selective in which accounts you follow. You can follow subject experts on topics that interest you. A subject expert can be an individual but could also be a company or organization. If you commute daily in a public transport then you can go through your twitter stream during this travel time or you can check it when you reach home after office.
Alongwith Twitter, LinkedIn is also an easy and great way to follow industry peers, blogs, magazines and communities online. They post regularly and you can read one in which you are interested.
So many people also hang out in Facebook Groups. If you join some local tech groups or international communities for your interest of technology then it could feed you with news and updates and connect you with other people interested in the same technology and it can even lead to your professional development and career growth.

Quora
At Quora you can easily find several prominent engineers and tech leads openly discussing important industry issues. You can follow numerous topics for all technical things like machine learning, blockchain technology, about many programming languages and frameworks, and also about general topics like web development, software engineering, software developers and learning how to program. You can also came to know about useful tools, best books about certain language and threads that cover the pros and cons of certain technology.

Summary
I hope you must have got some inspiration and motivation now to follow the above tips to stay up to date in the software development  market. You can select the topics that interest you or even try to explore new areas. To start with you should join some online communities and active forums related to your area of work and technology. In the meanwhile select some good books to read and listen to the podcasts whenever you get time. This will save your time and lead you to the right path.