Earlier this year, Xojo added the ability to create 64-bit iOS apps. And now with Xojo 2015 Release 3, you can create 64-bit apps for your Desktop, Web and Console apps.
After years of work by everyone on the team, we have simplified the process of creating 64-bit versions of your apps down to this:
That’s right. For most of your apps, you’ll just have to change this Architecture setting from “x86 32-bit” to “x86 64-bit” and then Build.
Why do you need 64-bit?
You may not need it right away, but you are probably going to want it right away. Here are some reasons why:
Memory: A 64-bit app has access to much more memory than a 32-bit app (which tops out between 3 or 4 GB depending on the OS). 64 bit apps can address so much memory that they can now access all the memory you have available.
Speed: 64-bit apps are built using the LLVM optimizing compiler. Users with lots of math-specific code are reporting that there apps run up to 9 times faster! 9 times! Not all apps will see this significant speed improvement, but any speed improvement is a good thing.
OS support: The OS X versions supported by Xojo (10.7 and later) are already all 64-bit. By having your app also be 64-bit you put less strain on the OS as it does not have to load a 32-bit compatibility layer. Similarly, many Linux distributions are no longer even available in 32-bit versions. It is much easier to deploy a 64-bit Linux app to a 64-bit Linux distribution than it is to configure a 64-bit Linux distribution with the necessary 32-bit libraries (that are not installed by default). Windows also has separate 64-bit versions that benefit from running 64-bit apps rather than 32-bit apps with a compatibility layer.
To learn more about 64-bit using the current Xojo release, refer to the Dev Center: