64 bit linux
- Thread starter iwantanewcomputer
- Start date
You have to be a bit more specific when you say "64 bit" proccessor.
64bit proccessor is a proccessor who can handle data in 64bit chunks instead of one that can handle 32bit (x86 for example) or 16bits or 8bit chunks.
"64bit clean" means, generally, that programmers made sure not to make assumptions about the register size of the proccessor. A bad programmer may assume that a given data type is always going to be so large, like 8bits or a 16/32 bit FPU data type. This makes it so that his program only works on one or two different archatecturers, while a good programmer makes no assumptions so that his program is much easier to port.
Linux has been running on 64bit proccessors for ages, it was originally designed for the 386, but it was quickly re-made to be portable and runs in natively in 64bit mode on Alpha, Sun Sparc, POWER, and other 64-bit archatectures.
So in windows land (mostly what we have here) when you say 64bit proccessors you generally mean either Itanium or AMD64, since with x86 that's the only proccessors that windows runs on. (except of course a early NT port to Alpha, a a subsequent W2k beta release. But these run in 32bit mode). However Intanium is too expensive for most people so everybody assumes you mean AMD64.
As far as Linux distros go that run on AMD64, Suse has one that's aviable from a "
ftp install" (you boot up with a small cdrom image, then download the files you need from the internet for the actual install), Redhat has a free Fedora Core1 version that's AMD64 native, Mandrake and Gentoo also has distros that are AMD64.
Note that I am talking about distros that have been ported to run in native 64bit mode on amd64 proccessors. If you want official support for your installation and stuff, you can buy retail versions from Redhat, Suse, and Mandrake that will run in native 64bit mode, free installs your on your own, mostly.
I think your best bet is either Fedora or Suse. here is the link to Fedora install instructions. I think that you should aviod Mandrake for now.
If you want Fedora, the core 1 was created when AMD64 still was realy new, so their may be issues with it, so if that doesn't work out for you then maybe try one of the beta Core2 pre-releases
Also maybe Suse will work out best, they have the most mature amd64 bit support since they worked hand in hand with AMD to create the first native Linux port.
Read this ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/x86_64/9.0/README.FTP file for details. Remember that Suse has retial versions aviable with different levels of documentation and support depending on the price.
Also any 32bit program you want to run in any x86_64 native OS, will run fine in Linux, just as long as you have 32bit versions of the libraries (like .dll files in windows) the program uses.
Also any 32bit linux distro can run fine in 32bit mode on AMD64, just like windows.
Use google/vivisimo to search around for user's experiences with running native AMD64 linux versions to make up your mind. This stuff is still new and your going to run into a couple snags if your not lucky, so a little research can go a long way.
64bit proccessor is a proccessor who can handle data in 64bit chunks instead of one that can handle 32bit (x86 for example) or 16bits or 8bit chunks.
"64bit clean" means, generally, that programmers made sure not to make assumptions about the register size of the proccessor. A bad programmer may assume that a given data type is always going to be so large, like 8bits or a 16/32 bit FPU data type. This makes it so that his program only works on one or two different archatecturers, while a good programmer makes no assumptions so that his program is much easier to port.
Linux has been running on 64bit proccessors for ages, it was originally designed for the 386, but it was quickly re-made to be portable and runs in natively in 64bit mode on Alpha, Sun Sparc, POWER, and other 64-bit archatectures.
So in windows land (mostly what we have here) when you say 64bit proccessors you generally mean either Itanium or AMD64, since with x86 that's the only proccessors that windows runs on. (except of course a early NT port to Alpha, a a subsequent W2k beta release. But these run in 32bit mode). However Intanium is too expensive for most people so everybody assumes you mean AMD64.
As far as Linux distros go that run on AMD64, Suse has one that's aviable from a "
ftp install" (you boot up with a small cdrom image, then download the files you need from the internet for the actual install), Redhat has a free Fedora Core1 version that's AMD64 native, Mandrake and Gentoo also has distros that are AMD64.
Note that I am talking about distros that have been ported to run in native 64bit mode on amd64 proccessors. If you want official support for your installation and stuff, you can buy retail versions from Redhat, Suse, and Mandrake that will run in native 64bit mode, free installs your on your own, mostly.
I think your best bet is either Fedora or Suse. here is the link to Fedora install instructions. I think that you should aviod Mandrake for now.
If you want Fedora, the core 1 was created when AMD64 still was realy new, so their may be issues with it, so if that doesn't work out for you then maybe try one of the beta Core2 pre-releases
Also maybe Suse will work out best, they have the most mature amd64 bit support since they worked hand in hand with AMD to create the first native Linux port.
Read this ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/x86_64/9.0/README.FTP file for details. Remember that Suse has retial versions aviable with different levels of documentation and support depending on the price.
Also any 32bit program you want to run in any x86_64 native OS, will run fine in Linux, just as long as you have 32bit versions of the libraries (like .dll files in windows) the program uses.
Also any 32bit linux distro can run fine in 32bit mode on AMD64, just like windows.
Use google/vivisimo to search around for user's experiences with running native AMD64 linux versions to make up your mind. This stuff is still new and your going to run into a couple snags if your not lucky, so a little research can go a long way.
holy crap... that's all i got to say. I hate to sound like an idiot but what does x86 actually mean...in short
holy crap... that's all i got to say. I hate to sound like an idiot but what does x86 actually mean...in short
x86 means the same thing as old "IBM Compatable PC", was.
8086 was the first IBM PC, 80286 are known as "286's", 80386 were the "386's", 80486 was the "486's".
The next step was the 80586, and these are the Pentium 1 proccessors. And are simple called "pentiums". Also instead of adding the 80 before the name, people just stick a "i" like i586.
80686, are often refered to as i686 for intel686 proccessors, and that's the more sudo-technical name for Pentium II, Pentium Pro and above proccessors.
Like the AMD 2400+ thouroughbread would be considured a i686 level proccessor. Early k5's maybe 586 or 686.
Sometimes you will hear people refer to i786 proccessors. (to differentiate between Pentium4/AMD k7 newer stuff vs older PentiumIII/AMD k6-5 stuff)
but it all gets VERY fuzzy after 586/686 stuff.
Now all these proccessors are kept backware compatable to the old 386 stuff. So they are refered to collectively as x86 proccessors. So that "x" can be replaced by 3,4,5,6, or 7 and you will still be right.
Most distros used compile their apps to be backward compatable with 486 or 386 proccessors, but most people don't use that stuff anymore since it's so old. Gentoo Linux people will compile for specific x86 proccessors like the AMD k7 or Intel Pentium 4 for specific extensions that maybe able to make their computer just that much more faster, but that's dubious at best.
Other archatectures are different and require people to write or compile their programs differently in order to run on that archatecture. Since windows doesn't use them you don't hear much about them in places like www.anandtech.com.
Apples for instance use IBM power970 (called G5) and Motorla G4 proccessors. These are from the PowerPC archatecture.
So sometimes you will see flame wars between Mac fanboys vs Intel/AMD fanboys arguing between the different virtues of x86 vs PPC or x86 vs PowerPC.
Other archatectures are Sparcs, which have a whole host of different versions and terms for different stuff. These generally come from Sun Microsystems. They have a few different 32bit and 64bit versions, I beleive.
Then you have Alpha proccessors which used to be Super-duper powerhouses back in the day. They were running 400-500mhz 64-bit proccessors, back when Intel was running 100-200mhz 32bit proccessors. But they lost out when AMD and Intel took to the MHZ and later Ghz races. These were made by HP until a couple years ago.
(then you have queer ones like S/370 or AS/400 stuff (which are old-school IBM mainframe/database style stuff, or things like ARM, StrongARM, and Fireball proccessors that compete with PPC for the embedded marketplace. These "low-end" cpu's are actually much more common then x86 PC's because they are used in everything. Then you have whole hosts of long-dead or specific-use archatectures that I have no clue about.))
AMD has added 64bit extensions/improvements to x86 so now are called x86_64 or AMD64.
Intaniums are sometimes called ia86, and are incompatable with x86 and AMD64 proccessors, but they can run x86 programs in a special (and slower) compatablity mode.
Then you start getting into Mips vs Risc vs Cisc proccesors which are highly technical terms and don't mean nearly as much as they used to. Mips were old school stuff. A current example of a Mips proccessor is the Sony Playstation 2's cpu. I think that PPC was started off being Risc and x86 were Ciscs. But you can ignore this last bit of info if you want, the lines are much more blurry they they were just 5 years ago.
8086 was the first IBM PC, 80286 are known as "286's", 80386 were the "386's", 80486 was the "486's".
The next step was the 80586, and these are the Pentium 1 proccessors. And are simple called "pentiums". Also instead of adding the 80 before the name, people just stick a "i" like i586.
80686, are often refered to as i686 for intel686 proccessors, and that's the more sudo-technical name for Pentium II, Pentium Pro and above proccessors.
Like the AMD 2400+ thouroughbread would be considured a i686 level proccessor. Early k5's maybe 586 or 686.
Sometimes you will hear people refer to i786 proccessors. (to differentiate between Pentium4/AMD k7 newer stuff vs older PentiumIII/AMD k6-5 stuff)
but it all gets VERY fuzzy after 586/686 stuff.
Now all these proccessors are kept backware compatable to the old 386 stuff. So they are refered to collectively as x86 proccessors. So that "x" can be replaced by 3,4,5,6, or 7 and you will still be right.
Most distros used compile their apps to be backward compatable with 486 or 386 proccessors, but most people don't use that stuff anymore since it's so old. Gentoo Linux people will compile for specific x86 proccessors like the AMD k7 or Intel Pentium 4 for specific extensions that maybe able to make their computer just that much more faster, but that's dubious at best.
Other archatectures are different and require people to write or compile their programs differently in order to run on that archatecture. Since windows doesn't use them you don't hear much about them in places like www.anandtech.com.
Apples for instance use IBM power970 (called G5) and Motorla G4 proccessors. These are from the PowerPC archatecture.
So sometimes you will see flame wars between Mac fanboys vs Intel/AMD fanboys arguing between the different virtues of x86 vs PPC or x86 vs PowerPC.
Other archatectures are Sparcs, which have a whole host of different versions and terms for different stuff. These generally come from Sun Microsystems. They have a few different 32bit and 64bit versions, I beleive.
Then you have Alpha proccessors which used to be Super-duper powerhouses back in the day. They were running 400-500mhz 64-bit proccessors, back when Intel was running 100-200mhz 32bit proccessors. But they lost out when AMD and Intel took to the MHZ and later Ghz races. These were made by HP until a couple years ago.
(then you have queer ones like S/370 or AS/400 stuff (which are old-school IBM mainframe/database style stuff, or things like ARM, StrongARM, and Fireball proccessors that compete with PPC for the embedded marketplace. These "low-end" cpu's are actually much more common then x86 PC's because they are used in everything. Then you have whole hosts of long-dead or specific-use archatectures that I have no clue about.))
AMD has added 64bit extensions/improvements to x86 so now are called x86_64 or AMD64.
Intaniums are sometimes called ia86, and are incompatable with x86 and AMD64 proccessors, but they can run x86 programs in a special (and slower) compatablity mode.
Then you start getting into Mips vs Risc vs Cisc proccesors which are highly technical terms and don't mean nearly as much as they used to. Mips were old school stuff. A current example of a Mips proccessor is the Sony Playstation 2's cpu. I think that PPC was started off being Risc and x86 were Ciscs. But you can ignore this last bit of info if you want, the lines are much more blurry they they were just 5 years ago.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 24K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 21K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter