Update News for April 2026

Here is a quick run-down on what you will find in this bulletin:

• Current/Future Windows Compatibility
• CQS.EXE Will Be 64 Bit Only
• NO One Responded
• Our Current Programming Plans

•  

These topics will be dealt with in more detail throughout this bulletin.

Current/Future Windows Compatibility

As we continue to plow through our new development work, and make changes to accommodate the newest version of our language compiler, we have made a couple of important decisions.

We have decided that in the future, we will be ONLY testing and ensuring that our current GOWIN.EXE is compatible with Windows 7 32 bit and newer computers. Currently GOWIN.EXE is working fine on Windows XP, but the only person with a Windows XP computer in our operation is myself (Bob Barney). I have decided that I will be upgrading that computer to Windows 7 32 bit.

I am changing to Windows 7 32 bit on the older machine because Windows 7 32 bit is backward compatible with ALL the old historical versions of Compulife, including the old DOS versions of our programs. Further, a couple of VERY old programs that I am particularly fond of, in particular “Wordstar” word processing, will run on Windows 7 32 bit but NOT run on newer Windows operating systems (OS). So on the machine that I use to run and test those old programs, I can run Windows 7 32 bit and everything works fine on it.

The issue driving this change is that some of our own older programs (those we use internally to maintain our data), when compiled with the latest compiler for 32 bit, do NOT like to run in Windows XP but are happy to run in Windows 7 through Windows 11. Rather than producing XP compatible versions from an older version of the compiler, I have decided to upgrade to Windows 7 which means that 32 bit programs from the newest compiler we currently have are running happily on Windows 7.

The problem is that once that last (old) machine is upgraded to Windows 7, I will no longer have any ability to test new versions of GOWIN.EXE in Windows XP. Given some of the problems that I have had with some of our recompiled software (from the new compiler) not running in Windows XP, but running OK in Windows 7 32 bit, I suspect that a future change in the compiler may render GOWIN.EXE no longer compatible with Windows XP. If/when that happens, we will NOT be chasing any repairs to make it XP compatible.

All of this makes our programmer’s eyes roll as both Windows XP and Windows 7 are antiques, long ago abandoned by Microsoft; XP being the much older antique. To make life as simple for him as possible, I am grudgingly upgrading my OLD machine from XP to Windows 7 32 bit.

The question is, “Are there ANY subscribers out there still using Windows XP?” If not, there is NO problem. If you are, and you are running the current version of Compulife on those old XP computers, there is NO guarantee how much longer you will be able to do that. Right now you will be OK, but you need to understand that XP is not something we are prepared to support from this point forward.

If you have any older computer(s) running Windows 7 (or newer) then you will be OK as I will be testing future changes to software on my Windows 7 32 bit computer. Windows 7 (as old equipment goes, is our new anchor point. Once again, if you have a Windows 7, 32 bit machine, you can run the old historical versions of Compulife.

NOTE:   I also have two older back up computers which are also running in Windows 7 32 bit (you just can’t have too many backups).

CQS.EXE Will Be 64 Bit Only

We have talked a lot about our upcoming CQS.EXE which will eventually replace GOWIN.EXE, but for reasons which we will continue to discuss further in future bulletins, we have decided that CQS.EXE will be 64 bit software.

Here is a quick rundown on the main reasons for this decision.

First, Windows 10 was the last version of Windows where you could purchase a 32 bit version of that operating system. Windows 11 is ONLY available as a 64 bit operating system.

According to AI:

 

the vast majority of Windows 10 computers are 64-bit, early estimates and data suggested that roughly 4% to 5% of Windows 10 machines were running the 32-bit version. Over time, this number dropped significantly, leading Microsoft to stop distributing 32-bit versions for new OEM PCs

In other words, if you have a Windows 10 computer, it is almost certainly a 64 bit system. By comparison, if you have a Windows 11 computer there is no question that it is 64 bit. There is no such thing as a Windows 11 operating system that is 32 bit.

While 64 bit computers with 64 bit operating system currently run 32 bit software, the reverse is NOT the case.

If you have a computer with a 32 bit operating system, you cannot run 64 bit software.

NOTE:   No panic, nothing we currently are producing is 64 bit, with the exception of 64 bit internet engines for those who have requested them.

Second, it was Windows 7 where 64 bit first became much more prominent.

According to AI:

 

Early in Windows 7’s lifecycle, 32-bit (x86) versions were dominant. However, around 2010–2012, adoption of 64-bit (x64) accelerated. By the time 64-bit adoption was widespread, estimates suggested roughly 50% of Windows 7 PCs ran 32-bit versions, while 64-bit usage rapidly increased.

Third, Windows XP was the very first version of Windows where you could purchase a 64 bit version of that operating system and that was late in its lifespan. The vast majority of XP systems were 32 bit.

Therefore, from Windows XP to Windows 10, you could get either 32 bit or 64 bit (assuming your computer supported 64 bit). Once again, Windows 11 does NOT offer a 32 bit system.

Windows XP to Windows 11 64 bit compatible computers, running the 64 bit versions of those operating systems, will run 32 bit software. GOWIN.EXE currently runs fine on ALL those machines.

Given the brief history that I have just laid out, I think that the day of 64 bit computers running 32 bit software is likely coming to an end. It may not be tomorrow, but it’s quite likely to be sooner rather than later. Attempting to support 32 bit is getting harder and harder for us, and this is apparent with the changes made to our newest version of our language compiler. That compiler naturally produces 64 bit programs. You can make an effort to activate certain software toggles to force it to produce programs in 32 bit, but that is not the standard. Clearly all our compiler manufacturer’s attention is now on supporting 64 bit, and when they make changes to it, 32 bit is NOT receiving the same attention. The changes that they are making are resulting in older source code being less compatible with their 32 bit options.

Depending on what we run into with our subcsribers when we roll out our CQS.EXE software, having CQS.EXE as 64 bit software may require us to continue to support the current GOWIN.EXE longer than we would have otherwise liked to. Once again, this depends on how many customers are NOT running 64 bit computers and Windows operating systems, but at this point we just can’t see why we should be trying to fight the inevitable.

To summarize:

GOWIN.EXE is 32 bit and will remain 32 bit. Today, it runs in Windows XP through the current version of Windows 11, whether the operating system is 32 bit or 64 bit. We will work to ensure it works on Windows 7 and newer moving forward.

CQS.EXE will be 64 bit only.

We know that the vast majority of our customers are using 64 bit computers. We will find out just how many customers are running on older 32 bit systems once we roll out the first version of CQS.EXE, which will generate a clear error message if you attempt to run it on a 32 bit system.

NO One Responded

No one responded to the questions I asked about E&O Insurance in the March bulletin:

 

That was disappointing. I really wonder if it is worth the time and trouble to even do monthly bulletins. I just don’t think many people read them.

Our Current Programming Plans

The following is the current order for new work that we will be doing moving forward:

 

• • Introduction of New PC Version: CQS.EXE.

 

• • Overhaul Of Current Product Data Files.

 

• Introduction of Compulife Mobile Plus (with Pick 12).

Anyone with questions about any of these upcoming projects can call Bob Barney to discuss:

 

Please don’t email me essay questions; just call. If I’m not in, email me your phone number, I’ll call you.

These planned objectives will easily consume our programming time during the balance of 2026. The good news is that once the product data files have been converted, and we have introduced the new CQS.EXE and upgraded our internet engine to use the new data files, Compulife will be turning its full attention to our web-based, Compulife Mobile software. The long-term goal is to have a web-based product that does everything our PC-based software does.