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Re: [LUG] AMD 64

 

On Friday 09 June 2006 14:06, Ben Goodger wrote:
>
> What's 64-bit like in Ubuntu nowadays?

It's well supported, but buggier than the x86 release due to less people 
testing.

> Can I still run 32-bit apps, or do I 
> just have to use the limited number of packages that are done for 64-bit
> natively?

Most 32-bit apps will work fine, but propriatary apps tend to be a problem.

> I especially don't want to lose Flash, win32codecs etc - yes 
> Grant, I know they're not Free&trade; but I need them.

As Rob mentioned, you can use these but you'll need to have a 32-bit chroot. 
I've never done this, but I believe it's a real pain.

A simpler solution might be to just use a 32-bit Linux - you gain little more 
than a drop in performance for most desktop apps when you go to 64-bit.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit#32_vs_64_bit

AMD64 processors have lots of nice new instructions and enhancements which 
will work just as well in 32-bit mode as they will in 64-bit.

> And if I upgrade 
> from say a A-XP 2400+ to an A-64 3200+ what'll the performance gain be?
> Noticable? Will Firefox become as quick as it is currently in Windows?

I find my P4 2.8GHz laptop gives about the same performance as my AMD64 4000+ 
box. You should see some improvement over the 2400, but don't expect anything 
fantastic.
My Firefox takes a good few seconds to start, which is a source of constant 
frustration to me given the spec of the machine.

Regards,
David.

-- 
David Johnson
www.david-web.co.uk - My Personal Website
www.penguincomputing.co.uk - Need a Web Developer?

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