Porting 32 bit C++ code to 64 bit - is it worth it? Why?

Question

I am aware of some the obvious gains of the x64 architecture (higher addressable RAM addresses, etc)... but:

• What if my program has no real need to run in nati

Answer 1

If you don't have any real need now, and likely never will, for 64-bit mode, you shouldn't do porting.

If you don't have the need now, but may have it some day, you should try to estimate how much effort it will be (e.g. by turning on all respective compiler warnings, and attempting a 64-bit compilation). Expect that some things aren't trivial, so it will be useful to know how what problems you would likely encounter, and how long it would likely take to fix them.

Notice that a need may also arise from dependencies: if your program is a library (e.g. a DLL), it may be necessary to port it to 64-bit mode just because some host application gets ported.

For a foreseeable future, 32-bit applications will continue to be supported.