Does anyone know why 32 bit plug-ins won't work w/64 bit PSP

[GlenBarrington]

It's been a long time for me, but I recall that 32 bit and 64 bit refers to the OSs' instruction set word size, and that the OS is designed so that the 32 bit word not only fits comfortably within the space allocated for a 64 bit word, but that the OS is designed to be able to understand and use 32 bit instructions. (64 bit words are richer and more powerful, while the 32 bit words have to break functionality down into a simpler, more primitive set of machine instructions).

This seems inconsistent with Corel's requirement that both versions of X6 be installed to use a mix of 32 bit and 64 bit plug-ins. There must be something else going on "under the hood". Does anyone know what that might be?

To the newbies, this isn't the first change of this type. Old timers can recall the shift from 4 - 8 bit words, then 8 - 16 bits, and 16 - 32 bit word size. We didn't have the modularity in program design back then, but I don't recall this sort of problem. (maybe I'm just old and forget!)

[LeviFiction]

All OSes have this issue. And yes this is an OS issue.

In the OS you have 32-bit program spaces and you have 64-bit program spaces. This is how Windows, or OSX or Linux know how to interpret and run the program under a certain heading.

When a program runs it allocates memory for its data, this memory is either a 32-bit space or a 64-bit space. Obviously 64-bit spaces cannot run in 32-bit spaces as the memory size requirements would not exist to handle that level of data. This gets into things like stack, heap, and memory allocation for the program. However, 32-bit spaces also cannot run in 64-bit spaces for the same reason. They're memory types and requirements are just too incompatible.

Plugins are not separate programs, they are treated as part of the main program. So whatever program space the program has, the plugin also has to have in order to run. Thus a 64-bit program cannot open a 32-bit plugin.

That is a crappy explanation. I know. But essentially no OS allows that intermingling.

The only solution ever found was somewhat of a hack. You have a 64-bit plugin - this plugin calls a 32-bit program. Since the program is not a plugin it starts in its own space. This program is designed to load and run 32-bit plugins. It then, through one means or another, communicates back and forth between the 64-bit plugin and its own 32-bit plugins acting as a middle-man.

If Corel were to design something like this, it might be possible to at least hide the fact that the 64-bit program can't run 32-bit plugins. Can't guarantee it'd be pretty though.

[GlenBarrington]

Ahhh! thanks, Levi. Your explanation makes sense! Though I think the mainframe OSs did allow intermingling, or maybe they did the sort of roundabout cover up you described. We need to start gearing up for the 128 bit word next. . .