[kwlug-disc] 64bit installs

Insurance Squared Inc. gcooke at insurancesquared.com
Tue Dec 21 18:51:00 EST 2010


After my new computer purchase a few weeks ago, upgrading to 4 gigs of 
ram and some shiny DDR 3 and a 64 bit processor, I figured I'd best get 
into a 64 bit OS.  So I installed a current version of Mandriva 64bit.

The experience was an epic fail.  I've put my wife's computer back to 32 
bit mandriva and I'm in the process of reverting mine to 32 bit as well.

Recent installs of linux have just plain worked.  The 64 bit version 
however was like a flashback to 2000, nothing worked.  No sound.  No 
youtube videos.  No adobe flash.  Losing a half a gig of ram for no 
clear reason (why when I was your age, we were happy to have just a half 
a gig).  And all sorts of weird problems with LAMP on my desktop.  In 
fact I needed to build a new site on my desktop and was unable to get 
wordpress running after a half day of tinkering.  It was quicker to 
reinstall 32 bit linux than continue working on the 64 bit version.

I'm not unhappy, just saddened that the 64 bit OS doesn't work for 
desktop use.  And perhaps weirdly enough, I don't think there was any 
noticeable speed benefit to the 64bit.

g.





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