64 bits compilation

[spoilerhead]

don't forget disk cache. especially linux does a pretty good job on hiding rotary disk latencies if it has enough ram it can use as cache.

[ormdig]

That means that there's no additional benefit from having more than 3-4GB RAM for ASP right now, correct? I've been considering a memory upgrade, but it may not make sense until we can get true 64-bit support.

Where the RAM comes in handy is when switching back and forth from large folder [4-5Gb] to large folder in file system mode. RAM acts as cache and ASP can load it instantly.

[larschristian]

64 bit is a must in this technology.

How so?
AS does not used monstrous bitmap layers like PS.....

The only reason to support 64bits would be for seriously large images sizes (large panos with hundreds of MP).
For everything else, it is just hype.

cheers
afx

So when loading a importing a memorycard with 4Gb of photos into my catalog to work further on the I would not benefit if ASP could just cache all the raw files in RAM? ASP doesn't write or change the raw files, so it seems only logical to keep them in RAM if possible.

[afx]

So when loading a importing a memorycard with 4Gb of photos into my catalog to work further on the I would not benefit if ASP could just cache all the raw files in RAM? ASP doesn't write or change the raw files, so it seems only logical to keep them in RAM if possible.

As the OS caches the files anyway, you do benefit from the RAM. My image drive on the W7 box is set to go to sleep pretty quickly. When working on a smaller directory where all files can be kept in ram, it only wakes up to write XMPs, but not when I switch images...

cheers
afx

[gale_bizet]

I have on many occassions had very large MB files...Yes 64 bit is a necessary technology for todays high MP cameras as well..
You may disagree with me . That is ok.
It is time for Corel to shine with folks wanting to get out of Adobe and thier games.. I was hoping this would be the time.
Come on Corel. No excuses, this is your chance.
Thanks,
Gale

[madsec]

Well, I think there are other things needed more than 64bit in Corel. Give them some time, most of the progress in the last month was pretty nice, 64bit will come soon enough...

[sauron]

I'd like ASP to be 64-bit, but the reasons to do it aren't really that compelling. A 32 bit process has a 4Gb address space, which is (on Linux, which is the only OS I'm interested by) split 3:1 into a userspace/kernel mapping. Some or all of that can be mapped into physical RAM, so a 32 bit executable is only a limit if you want to map more than 3Gb into the Aftershot process address space. A 36 Megapixel, 16-bit per channel image, completely uncompressed in memory will consume only 205 MB of RAM, so to say that the process requires more than ~ 15 times that doen't really make any sense. There will obviously be toolkit overhead, other thumbnails and so forth, but a 3Gb limitation doesn't seem likely to be any significant problem. If you have a 64 bit kernel and lots of memory, then your disk latencies and load speed will all get helped - this happens entirely outside the ASP process, so doesn't impact the process address space at all. A 64-bit ASP would actually consume more memory than a 32-bit one does, as all the data structures and pointers would double in width.

I'd like a 64 bit .deb simply because it would mean I wouldn't have to carry the overhead of having 32 and 64 bit copies of many of the same libraries in memory, as I often run 64 bit apps at the same time linked against the same libs. Making sure I have all the dependent 32-bit libraries available is a little irritating, and a pure 64 bit package would work better there. There would also be some performance advantages, as modern CPUs deal optimally with shunting 64 bit aligned data, and 32 bit code seems to run slower (on recent Intel 64 bit silicon, anyway). So, there are advantages to a 64-bit build, but it's just fantasy to suggest Corel "needs" ASP to be 64-bit to "compete". That opinion comes from paying too much attention to marketing departments, who on the whole have minimal understanding of what they're talking about, but do like bigger numbers. Hardly an informed perspective...

Since Bibble5 moved into the Corel stable, all the things I've seen have been encouraging - we're seeing more rapid delivery of new camera support, incremental improvements happening, and some better communication. I'd like a 64-bit package, sure, but it's way down the list, and from what I can see the team seem to have their priorities in about the right place.