I am sorry to say but I am not sure who set up that golden rule refer to but of what I am sure is that he/she was wrong.
It is not the programs that matter but the hardware.
32bit programs are able to work fine on 64bit. In order to find out if the one you are interested in will you just have to do some trial/error testing. In the end you may be able to find an alternative working one.
In terms of hardware this isn't as 'easy'. Not only of the computer itself but also the one that will interact with it has to have 64bit drivers for it. If not it won't work with the computer. And changing hardware is more expensive than software indeed.
Therefore it is kind of bold to install a 64bit OS on a potentially outdated computer when there is no guarantee of 64bit drivers. If there are for the computer, fine but it isn't an isolated working unit.
And, finally, there is no magic in drivers installing for themselves, they are just available. And them being available is sometimes indeed magic.
2012-08-21 00:11:30