AMD 64bit linux

[moderate_rock48]

Which linux distro would I need to run with a AMD 64bit processor? I saw they had a distro for it, but it said it was unstable and still in the works. Can I get a distro that is stable, that will just run at 32 bits, with a 64bit processor? Thanks

[DMR]

The latest full-release versions of SuSE, Fedora, Mandriva (formerly Mandrake), and Gentoo are all available for the AMD's 64-bit platform as far as I know.

[moderate_rock48]

alright, cool thanks. DMR, what distro do you use?

[DMR]

I haven't used any of the 64-bit packages yet, but over the years I've used different versions of Red Hat/Fedora, SuSE, and Mandrake/Mandriva. I quite happy with SuSE and RH/Fedora, but for some reason Mandrake has always, for lack of a better description, just felt like a big soggy pancake that someone dropped on the ground.

[moderate_rock48]

hahahaha, alright thanks for the help. I am currently trying to figure out how to write the iso of Fedora core 3 onto a disc. There are a bunch of files, which one should I write?

[DMR]

hahahaha

Yeah, I know. Dont' ask- it just sort of popped in to my head... too much coffee this morning. [img]http://www.stevewolfonline.com/Downloads/DMR/Visuals/smileyFrazzled.gif[/img]

Anyway...

If you want the 64-bit version, d/l the FC3-x86_64-disc1 - FC3-x86_64-disc4 .iso files; d/l FC3-i386-disc1.iso - FC3-i386-disc4.iso for 32-bit platforms.
Regardless of which you d/l. also grab the associated MD5SUM file; you'll need it to check the integrity of the downloaded isos before you burn them.
Info on error-checking your d/ls with the MD5SUMS program can be found here.

The SRPMS isos contain the source code for Fedora and the software packages distributed with it. You don't need those; they're for Uber-Geek programmer types. :mrgreen:

[Stuart86uk]

hey there, im wanting to get into linux myself, i downloaded mandrake 10 a few months ago n got it burned, at the time it was runnin on an amd xp 2800, but i recently upgraded the whole rig, will mandrake 10 still run on an amd64 bit platform?? (just a note, sum strange middle aged man with a lab coat and a grin told me mandrake was the best begineer distro. was he lying to me??)

any help would be greatly appreciated :)

[DMR]

Hi Stuart86uk, welcome to the site :)

To keep confusion to a minimum, we have a "one member's question per thread" policy in our forums. If you need help in the future, you should start your own thread and ask your question(s) there.

I'll answer the questions you've already asked here, though:

1. The 32-bit version of Mandrake should run just fine on a 64-bit platform. It obviously won't be able to take full advantage of the 64-bit architecture, but even so, some users have reported that their 32-bit Linux installs have run slightly faster on 64-bit machines.

2. Your stranger in the lab coat was referring to the fact that Mandy has traditionally been the most Windows-like distro in terms of "look and feel", making it a good introductory distro for users coming from the Windows world. That isn't as much the case any more though, as many other distros now use GUI environments that are very "point-n-click", and include setup "wizards" and other such windows-ish "ease of use" features. SuSE and Fedora definitely fall into this category.

Many hard-core Linux users will tell you that those are "toy" distros, because they do most of the work for you, but IMNSHO that is a Good Thing for Linux newcomers. The point that those poeple often forget though, is the fact you don't have to use the graphical goodies to accomplish tasks; if you want to get your hands dirty by hand-hacking your configuration files, compiling your own drivers from source, etc., you can do that with any distro.