4 ms·

Makes sense to me, then again I know NT inside out... It's NT's syscall translation layer, CPU mode switching backend and entry point front end. It was origina

Makes sense to me, then again I know NT inside out... It's NT's syscall translation layer, CPU mode switching backend and entry point front end. It was originally used to run 16-bit apps on 32-bit platforms but is now WOW64 so is to run 32-bit apps on 64-bit machines. Basically it's a very light weight virtualisation layer. And it works well. My circa 1996 RPN calculator I wrote in VC++ works perfectly on 2013 x64 machine.

bhauer 13y ago
Don't get me wrong. I know it makes sense once you know what it is. And the result in terms of compatibility and stability is impressive. Still, when I first heard the phrase "Windows on Windows" I had a chuckle. It reminds me that I enjoyed the way x86 apps ran on my old Alpha NT machine. If I recall correctly, the process list included "fx32" beside each.
- quarterto 13y ago
  WOW doesn't stand for Windows On Windows. WOW64 stands for Windows On Windows 64 [bit].
  - bhauer 13y ago
    Oh, that I didn't fully appreciate. That actually makes it more reasonable. (Not being sarcastic!) What are you trying to do? Make me feel bad for having a good laugh at the name when I first looked it up? :)
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
- JonnieCache 13y ago
  >Still, when I first heard the phrase "Windows on Windows" I had a chuckle. The Windows 2000 loading screen had the tagline "Built on Windows NT Technology." They left it there through multiple SP rollouts IIRC.
  - archangel_one 13y ago
    I always assumed that was to placate business customers who might have (justifiably) worried that Windows 2000 was related to Windows 98, rather than descending from NT 4.
    - woobar 13y ago
      NT stands for "New Technology". For everyone worried about Win98 relation simple "Built on Windows NT" would work.