NewsForge: 64-bit Linux and BSD are Maturing Steadily

“Most top-tier hardware vendors are selling AMD64 workstation
and server systems these days, including Hewlett Packard, Sun
Microsystems, and, more recently, IBM. Oddly enough, most of them
are shipping with 32-bit operating systems installed by default.
While the AMD64 architecture can comfortably handle both 64-bit and
32-bit software — even concurrently — it seems a waste of its
potential to disregard the best features of the architecture. While
the theoretical speed advantage and expanded resources of 64-bit
computing are enticing to those in need of maximum performance, the
road to a perfect AMD64 desktop, workstation or server machine is
long and treacherous. What operating system will you use? Is there
enough 64-bit software available? In this article we’ll explore
some of the advantages and pitfalls of going totally 64-bit in a
32-bit world…”

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