Frank Peters wrote:

On Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:17:18 -0600
Dale<rdalek1967@gmail.com>  wrote:

 

What are some things that I should watch for and enable that isn't so
obvious for someone new to 64 bit?

   

The first thing to decide is whether or not you want a pure 64-bit
system or a 64-bit system that keeps 32-bit capability.

I am a purist.  I left 32-bit programs in the dust a long time ago.
But as a consequence there are some things that I will miss because
they are available in 32-bit packages only.  An example would be
Acroread, the PDF viewer, from Adobe.  Without Acroread, you will
only view pdf files through the 64-bit xpdf.  The Intel C++
compiler is another example.  In fact, most commercial software
that bothers to release a Linux version will do so in 32-bit
format only.

So if you need to make use of those offerings, you'll need
to keep 32-bit compatibility.

My own view is that these software developers are way behind
the times and should have long ago made their products in
a 64-bit form.  It's not that difficult to do.

Whatever the choice, pure 64-bit or 64/32, Gentoo makes it
easy.

Frank Peters


 

Now I have a question.  How do I tell Gentoo to make it pure 64 or a mix of 32 and 64?  I have read about this but I don't think I have actually seen where it is set.  Is it a profile selection, USE flag or something else?

If I decide on one then want to switch to the other, does that require a reinstall or just a change in settings and a recompile of world?

Since I use KDE, I always use Okular to view pdf files.  I assume KDE is 64 bit ready.

Thanks.

Dale

:-)  :-)