[ALUG] 32/64-bit? Intel T2390

[Brett Parker]

On 27 Mar 14:51, Ted Harding wrote:
> Hi Folks,
> Once upon a time I didn't need to ask this kind of question ...
> 
> I'm about to install Linux (probably Debian) on a laptop which
> has an Intel Core Duo T2390 CPU.
> 
> So I'm wondering whether it I should use i386 or ia64.

Well, even if it is 64 bit, you're not going to want ia64! IA64 is, err,
IIRC, now just in a handful of server implementations - 64bit laptops
and desktops etc that fall in the x86-64 camp would be the debian amd64
flavour.

> I *think* (but am not sure) that this chip has 64-bit capability
> (though that may need to be enabled somehow). Presumably i386
> would work anyway, but it would be nice to enjoy the benefits
> of 64-bit architecture if available!

Have you got, or are likely to have > 3.5G of memory in the laptop? If
not, you're probably better off sticking to the i386 version (which,
actually, in Debian, is i486 - but they haven't change the name! :)

> Since this is my first time facing this question, I'm totally
> naive about the installation implications, and would welcome
> informed advice and/or comments!

I run both 64 and 32 bit machines - my laptop is running the i386
flavour of debian unstable, but then, that really is just a 32 bit
machine - my older laptop is an amd64 and is running the amd64 flavour,
there are issues, such as flash which currently kills the browser on the
amd64 as the 64 bit flash plugin is shockingly broken!

So, really, it comes down to what you want to do with the laptop - if
it's for browsing and trudging around and isn't going to have more than
3.5G of memory, you're probably best sticking to an i386 base.

Thanks,
-- 
Brett Parker