64-bit finally becoming the default for 13.10

[cariboo]

I actually saw a link to this over on Discourse, but 64-bit is finally going to be the default choice when downloading the 13.10 iso. See the mailing list post here.

I say it's about time, in defense of 32-bit systems, I have an ancient Apple G3, that won't run Ubuntu anyway, but it does run Debian stable 32-bit without a gui very well. I installed the system about 3 years ago, and it just plain runs without any problems, it's so reliable, I rarely even remember to do updates.

[tdockery97]

I agree that it's about time. I'm sure it's been a good while since the last 32-bit only machine was made. I've never seen a poll, but I would imagine that the percentage of 32-bit only owners is below 5% of Linux users.

[mikewhatever]

Have zero 64bit capable machines here, and I couldn't care less either way. The point is so minute, I don't even know why it's been brought up every past release since about 2010. Is it the luxury of linux users to get stuck on minutia?

[PJs Ronin]

Interesting article here.

[thotz]

Interesting article here.

Thanks for the article! Looks promising

[cariboo]

Have zero 64bit capable machines here, and I couldn't care less either way. The point is so minute, I don't even know why it's been brought up every past release since about 2010. Is it the luxury of linux users to get stuck on minutia?

As computer enthusiasts, yes we are concerned with minutia, as far as it being a luxury, why not? Ubuntu has gotten to the point where almost any one with a bit of common sense can install it, and have a system up and running in a very short time, the majority of systems sold in the last 4 or 5 years have been 64-bit capable, so personally I think this is a great move.

[ventrical]

As computer enthusiasts, yes we are concerned with minutia, as far as it being a luxury, why not? Ubuntu has gotten to the point where almost any one with a bit of common sense can install it, and have a system up and running in a very short time, the majority of systems sold in the last 4 or 5 years have been 64-bit capable, so personally I think this is a great move.

I am going to check and see if 64bit increases overclocking performance on some of my machines. So far, from my experience, 32bit has always worked just , well, better on 64bit machines but looks like the times , they are a changing..

[grahammechanical]

At what point does the 32bit version go the way of the Non-PAE kernel in Ubuntu? Now, that was a thread that really got me confused as to what it was all about. At some point in the future, I guess, there will not be a 32bit Ubuntu. How well will Ubuntu 14.04 run on a 32bit machine? What about Ubuntu 16.04? There will be a time in the future when LTS versions may be the only 32bit version of Ubuntu available. But for how long?

The key component that is often forgotten in discussions about old hardware is the graphic card. That has a big effect on the user experience.

Regards.

[cariboo]

There are still some fairly modern system (2 -3 years old) that are 32-bit only. My Compaq Mini 1100 netbook has a 32-bit only atom cpu (I forgot about this one in my first post ) so I would think that 32-bit will be around for a while yet.

[ventrical]

At what point does the 32bit version go the way of the Non-PAE kernel in Ubuntu? Now, that was a thread that really got me confused as to what it was all about. At some point in the future, I guess, there will not be a 32bit Ubuntu. How well will Ubuntu 14.04 run on a 32bit machine? What about Ubuntu 16.04? There will be a time in the future when LTS versions may be the only 32bit version of Ubuntu available. But for how long?

The key component that is often forgotten in discussions about old hardware is the graphic card. That has a big effect on the user experience.

Regards.

I have been studying methods on locking down Lucid and Precise distros on old surplus hdds I have and then using them on older machines. I have also upgraded to current hardware and more or less see the writing on the wall concerning nVidia & aTi graphics . Intel graphics have always worked better and more stable and it seems that this is the way Ubuntu is headed. I thought Lubuntu and Xubuntu were for older machines. No Unity , but still current.

Regards..