By Ded Ryzing: With the wide availability of 64-bit processors in consumer desktops and laptops, the question is being asked more and more, “Should I move to a 64-bit Operating System?”. The simple answer to this is, it depends. A lot of the decision will be based on what you use your computer for and what your expectations are. Before we delve into the pros and cons, though, let’s look at what 32-bit and 64-bit means.

The terms 32-bit or 64-bit can sometimes be vague and misleading. In general, desktop systems get their “bit rating” from the size of their Integer Registers (the size of integer data they can handle), either 32 bits or 64 bits wide. In almost all commonly used computers, the integer registers are used to store memory address pointers or pointers to a piece of data stored in memory.

A system’s advertised “bit rating” may also refer to the size of it’s external data buses. This may not reflect the CPU processing capabilities. For example, many 32-bit systems have 64-bit data buses and may be misleadingly labeled as “64-bit for this reason. Another example is the Sony Playstation 3 that is sometimes touted as a 128-bit system because it has 128 bit data buses, but the processor is only 64-bit capable.

So what does this mean?

Because 32-bit processors are limited to 32 bit wide memory pointers they are capable of addressing a maximum of 4 GB of memory. Back in the 1960’s, when 32-bit systems were first “standardized” in mainframe computers, it was thought that 4 GBs of RAM was enough overhead for future growth. We all know times have changed.

With 64-bit systems having memory pointers 64 bits wide, they are capable of addressing up to 16 exabytes of RAM (that’s about 17.2 billion Gigabytes!). Don’t get too excited though. Due to physical constraints, consumer grade systems typically have artificial restrictions in place to limit amount of RAM. For example, Apple’s Mac Pro has a limit of 32 GB.

Other Pros and Cons

Due to the slow adoption of 64-bit platforms, the availability of native 64-bit applications and device drivers can sometimes be an issue. If you move to 64-bit you may find that some of your hardware will not be supported and some applications will cease to function or will only function in 32-bit emulation.

Where 64-bit can excel is in processing of very large files such as video rendering, audio processing and database manipulation. It should also be noted that with current DVD and now Blu-Ray technology it’s possible to have file sizes of 4 GB or larger. In a 32-bit system these large files can’t be processed without swapping “chunks” of data in and out of memory. With 64-bit this is less of an issue.

In a nutshell

My personal opinion on this matter is this. Unless you work with very large files or multitasking intensive processes, you will likely be best suited by 32-bit at this time. Do note that with Mac this is not really a decision you need to make as OS X is 64-bit (though some apps still run in 32-bit emulation mode). For general home use, 32-bit will give you great performance with minimal headaches and compatibility issues.

I do believe we are in a transition phase now and things are going to start changing rapidly in the next couple of years. We are already starting to see more and more consumer support for 64-bit and 32-bit will soon become a part of the past like 8 and 16-bit…can you remember DOS?

Finally, if you are wondering if your system is even 64-bit capable, here’s a general guide. If your machine is an Apple G5 or newer, it is 64-bit. If your system is an Intel Core 2 or AMD64 or newer, it is 64-bit capable. These are general guidelines only so please refer to your system manufacturer to be sure.

Tags: 64bit, 64-bit, Intel, AMD, Apple, Operating System

By Ded Ryzing: There has been a lot of hype over Vista’s Aero interface. I’ll let these videos do my talking for me…

Tags: WindowsVista, Compiz Fusion, Linux, Ubuntu

By Ded Ryzing: The other day I got into a somewhat heated discussion about why Linux is a viable alternative desktop OS. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to move the other side past the rhetoric and myths that seem to surround Linux. It is because of this discussion that I am writing this…as a way to give accurate information. Let’s start by looking at some of the most common myths.

Myth 1: “Linux is hard to install” - This could not be further from the truth. Many Linux distributions are as easy, if not easier. to install as Windows. Ubuntu, Linux Mint and PCLinuxOS are but three of the most popular. The install is nothing more than a few mouse clicks and basic options like timezone, language and name. All these are explained well and you need to provide the same information when installing ANY operating system.

Myth 2: “Linux does not recognize my hardware” - Like all Operating Systems, Linux requires “drivers” in order to use a piece of hardware like a sound card or modem, etc. Also like other OSs, if your system is cutting edge with the latest and greatest, there may be challenges at first. This issue is not limited to Linux either. A year after it’s release, Windows Vista is still suffering from poor driver support. The fact is, if your system is 6 months old, hardware support is usually a non-issue.

Myth 3: “Linux is too complicated to use” - In what way? It has a graphical interface with a mouse and windows. It has an auto-updater to keep things current. It has software add/remove capabilities that allow you to install programs with a couple mouse clicks. It even has many apps found in Windows and Mac OS X like Firefox, Thunderbird, Pidgin, Audacity, etc. It’s as easy as Windows…just different. Let’s put it this way, if all you ever knew was Linux and you decided to try Windows for the first time, I’m sure you would find Windows complicated and hard to use too.

Myth 4: “There are no applications available” - One of the points thrown at me during my discussion went something like, “Walk into a computer store and try to find a single Linux app on the shelf…you won’t find any”. Until now I’m not sure what that had to do with anything. There are many thousands of applications available, for free, and are readily available for download. Many Linux distros even come with a point and click interface to download and install these apps without effort. To say there are no applications available is not only a myth but a flat out lie. However, if you still insist on getting in your car, driving across town, burning that expensive fuel, searching through cluttered shelves, standing in line, paying, then driving home again (burning more expensive fuel) just so you can have a disc in a fancy box…be my guest.

Some reasons to use Linux: There are many more “myths” hanging over Linux, but those were some of the more common ones. Let’s now look at a few reasons why one should consider Linux.

Reason 1: Security - Viruses are less of a threat on Linux. The very way a Linux system is designed makes it very difficult for a virus to function as it does in Windows. This also applies to spyware, malware, etc. The fact that almost no viruses are written for Linux also adds a nicer sense of warmth. Wouldn’t be nice to read the almost endless stream of security holes in Windows and know it does not apply to you?

Reason 2: Updatability - Linux is in a constant state of development and improvement by professional and semi-professional developers who donate their time and skills to the various projects. In addition, the majority of the system and available applications are Open source, so if you wish and you had the ability, you could add any feature you needed. Linux also has the ability to expand the life of many systems as it’s reduced overhead and need for system resources means that it will run great on older machines.

Reason 3: Support - Yes, support. As hard as it is to accept, you can easily get support when you do run into difficulties. In addition to the plethora of online forms, both independant and those provided by the distro supplier, there are also more and more 3rd party service providers that offer service contracts for Linux systems. Good to have in a corporate/business environment. There is also support offered by more and more traditional Technology names such as Dell, IBM, Novell, Sun and others. And finally, for support a little closer to home, most major cities have Linux User Groups that can and do offer help and advice. Help and Support IS available and does not usually mean spending hours on hold to speak to someone in a call center on the other side of the planet.

Reason 4: Self-improvement - Personally, this is one of the most important reasons why I switched. Linux gave me the chance to learn new skills, gain deeper insights into how computers work and provided an excellent platform to develop on. Some people may be satisfied with going through life with blinders on and living the “status-quo”. For those that enjoy the how/what/why of life, Linux is an excellent choice.

Reason 5: Cost - Most people would put this at the top of the list. For me, cost is one of the least important reasons to switch to Linux. However, the cost advantage of Linux is huge. In a nutshell, you get the complete OS, thousands upon thousands of applications AND support for the grand total price of….$0! We’re not talking a watered down, feature deprived OS either…we’re talking a full-blown, complete, enterprise ready OS…for free. “But my time is worth something and the extra effort needed with Linux cost me money.”, alright…and how much does it cost you when Windows bluescreens in the middle of editing a large report that hasn’t been saved? Or how about when a virus or spyware prevents you from even using your system…probably costs you a lot.

So you see, you are going to hear a lot about why you should not use Linux, and they are going to give you many reasons why you shouldn’t…just very few good reasons.

If you are interested in trying Linux, I would recommend Ubuntu, Linux Mint or PCLinuxOS. Download their LiveCDs. Booting to a LiveCD allows you to try and use a complete Linux environment without making any changes to your hard drive. Once done, just reboot and go back into windows as normal.

Tags: Linux, Windows, switch to linux, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, Microsoft