64bit only on Windows?

[Guillaume Piolat]

On Thursday, 3 February 2022 at 01:42:54 UTC, forkit wrote:
> In trying to get my head around the build process on Windows, I 
> find myself asking 'what is the rationale for continuing to 
> maintain 32bit on Windows'.

Audio software is a bit special in that regards, a lot of 32-bit 
plugins from the past are hidden gems, and if you have entrenched 
production habits you can't move easily to 64-bit on Windows. 
(Though 32-bit it was wiped from the macOS scene quite quickly.)

Example amongst hundreds: Dominion 
http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=4 is 
still often cited as one of the best transient shaper.

Around the 2000s there were a cambrian explosion of Windows 
32-bit VST that still has value for today production. When 
producing music I actively resort to 32-bit software, including 
those I made with D in 2022.

Would it hurt if 32-bit was removed from D? Not much, we would 
manage to call an older compiler. It has to be balanced with the 
small opportunity loss though.