Hardware experiences?

[Simon]

You know, if the OP was talking about making a server box, you'd be
right, and I totally agree with you, but it looks like he's talking
about making a desktop system.  You seem to incorrectly think that
the Linux desktop use case always involves a need for an unnatural
compatibility with windows.  I'm using it in a desktop situation, and
I definitely don't want it to emulate Windows the way you describe.
However, if I want to run flash, or mplayer with the closed source
codecs, or any free software app that hasn't been ported to 64-bit (I
know, these apps should be ashamed), I need to be running those apps
in 32-bit mode.  So my point was just that I don't think it's worth it
to boot up in 64-bit rather than just run everything in 32-bit and not
have to worry about this stuff until I see some decisive benchmarks
that prove me wrong.

If you're using the box as a server, then yes, I agree with you, you
might as well use 64-bit, no matter what, cause the cons go away.

On 9/9/06, Christopher Browne <cbbrowne-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> For a very large number of the "use cases," this is complete rubbish.
>
> One definition of "average" for "average Linux box" is that it is a
> system sitting at an ISP running Apache, SSH, Perl, Python, PHP, and
> perhaps one of the free software databases.
>
> There are a LOT of those systems out there, and they perfectly well
> take advantage of 64 bit architectures.
>
> The prime "use case" where 64 bit *presently* falls down somewhat is
> what strikes me as a MINORITY scenario, namely "Attempted Windows
> Replacement," where you need fairly much virus-for-virus compatibility
> deployed to people for whom any difference between what they get and
> the way Windows does things represents a bug.
>
> If what you actually want is Windows, then it seems to me that
> Microsoft does a better job of deploying that.
>
> I migrated my home systems to Alpha and AMD-64 some time ago and
> haven't had *any* 32 bit Linux around for at least a year or so now.
> --
> http://www3.sympatico.ca/cbbrowne/linux.html
> Oddly enough, this is completely standard behaviour for shells. This
> is a roundabout way of saying `don't use combined chains of `&&'s and
> `||'s unless you think Gödel's theorem is for sissies'.
> --
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