Another fence sitter ...

dhave · 2008-06-16 12:28:12

I've spent a while now reading through posts about Arch64. I've been happily running 32-bit Arch as a semi-proficient user for several years, but now I've got a nice new laptop that supports 64-bit OSes and has 4Gb of RAM, so I'm sorely tempted. Most of what I've read has encouraged me to go for it. Still, I have a few questions, please:

(1) Is there a good way to migrate my system from 32-bit Arch to 64-bit Arch, or do I need to reinstall from scratch?

(2) I use CrossOver Office regularly for a couple of Windows apps that I need for my job. They work fine under 32-bit Arch. Am I likely to have problems with Arch64? I've read that Wine can be made to work under Arch64, but I wonder if other people are using CrossOver, which I like because of its convenience (and because my company was willing to pay for it!).

(3) I also sometimes use VMware Workstation for Linux to run a Windows XP guest and an occasional Linux guest (to see what the other distros are up to). Does VMware play nice with 64-bit Linux?

(4) I've read a bit about the 32-bit chroot approach, but I'm not quite sure what this will mean for regular use. Do I use a 32-bit chroot envirnoment only to install a 32-bit app, or both to install and to run a 32-bit app? If the latter, doesn't it add extra steps to have to re-enter the 32bit chroot environment every time I want to run a particular app?

(5) I've always been a software junkie and, when I'm bored, I'll sometimes build and install an app that looks nifty, even if I don't plan to use it long-term. I generally remove it after playing with it a bit. Will I often encounter situations where a particular program won't compile or run under Arch64? I'm not talking about the biggies like Gimp or CUPS; I'm talking about some little utility which does this or that cool thing that I'd like to play with. If going with 64bits keeps me from enjoying this little hobby, then I'd probably best stick with 32bits for the time being.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Last edited by dhave (2008-06-16 12:49:07)

atomizer · 2008-06-16 15:26:09

I haven't tried Arch64 myself, I have tried Ubuntu64, and the only thing that I have noticed (I did not try CrossOver there, though) is that there is NO flash plugin for 64bit version of FireFox (I am talking about Adobe one).
That's as much as I can tell on the subject. I have been using 32 bit OS's on my 64Bit Athlon laptop ever since.

cautha · 2008-06-16 16:13:31

I'm a user of 64-bit Arch, and I can tell you that it is possible to get Flash to work; it just takes a little extra time. Follow the wiki, and you should be all right.

Harry

Stythys · 2008-06-16 18:25:12

In my opinion, you should only switch to 64-bit if you can specify exactly why you need it, because you'll run into a bunch of compatibility problems. I'm not saying these can't be dealt with, but 32-bit is just more compatible and you'll run into a lot less trouble. With 64-bit, you'll only ever notice a speed increase if you're doing serious multimedia work, 3D rendering, things like that.

shazeal · 2008-06-16 20:14:20

I switched not long ago, its as easy as installing 32 bit there are loads of posts stating howto change from 32 -> 64, once its done and setup you wont notice the difference. I had tried 64 bit several years ago, and it sucked, now though, if you got a 64 bit processor... why not?
Well unless you cant be arsed making a 32 bit chroot for stuff that hasnt been ported. It is a bit like installing Linux and having a windows partition I guess but without the need to reboot.

In my opinion, you should only switch to 64-bit if you can specify exactly why you need it, because you'll run into a bunch of compatibility problems

Funny I did it on a whim, and havent had any problems at all...

dhave · 2008-06-16 21:03:43

Stythys wrote:

In my opinion, you should only switch to 64-bit if you can specify exactly why you need it,

I confess, my "need" is only that I have the possibility of doing it, and that I feel my hardware has some tiny bit of capacity I'm not exploiting.

shazeal wrote:

Well unless you cant be arsed making a 32 bit chroot for stuff that hasnt been ported. It is a bit like installing Linux and having a windows partition I guess but without the need to reboot.

This is an area where I'd like some guidance. Do you do the chroot only for installation, or every time you want to run the app? If, for example, we're talking about Flash, I wouldn't want to always have to enter a special chrooted environment when I run Firefox just in case I might want to also pull up a Flash applet. Or am I not understanding the process correctly?

azleifel · 2008-06-16 21:15:25

dhave wrote:

(2) I use CrossOver Office regularly for a couple of Windows apps that I need for my job. They work fine under 32-bit Arch. Am I likely to have problems with Arch64? I've read that Wine can be made to work under Arch64, but I wonder if other people are using CrossOver, which I like because of its convenience (and because my company was willing to pay for it!).
(4) I've read a bit about the 32-bit chroot approach, but I'm not quite sure what this will mean for regular use. Do I use a 32-bit chroot envirnoment only to install a 32-bit app, or both to install and to run a 32-bit app? If the latter, doesn't it add extra steps to have to re-enter the 32bit chroot environment every time I want to run a particular app?

(1) I'm running Crossover Linux 6.2.0 on Arch64 without problems. It just needs the lib32 stuff installed (I opted for installing the whole lib32 group rather than working out which 32 bit libraries were actually necessary).

(2) 32 bit applications are installed in the chroot but run from the 64 bit environment, so it isn't necessary to keep re-entering the chroot. There are a couple of different ways to do this.

shazeal · 2008-06-16 21:50:46

Read this wiki page.

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arc … bit_system

Once you have it setup, make a few bash scripts, I just call them start<program name> chuck them in your path (~/bin or whatever) and from then on its totally transparent.

For vmware, Im not sure how great it is on 64bit as I think the 32bit one falls short in almost everyway possible (but thats for a different thread), The host OS doesnt care if your on 64 bit its down to how good the "emulator" is. I run virtualbox without a hitch in 64 bit.

shazeal · 2008-06-16 21:52:40

Also flash is as hard as typing...

yaourt -S nspluginwrapper-flash flashplugin-beta

And your done.

dhave · 2008-06-16 22:03:24

Thanks, everybody. That's the info and advice I was looking for.

dhave · 2008-06-17 09:58:13

This Arch Wiki page really is a good source of info for those like me who are pondering whether to move up to Arch64:

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arc … all_Arch64

Last edited by dhave (2008-06-17 09:58:40)

Leigh · 2008-06-30 04:04:39

For the most part I don't see any show stoppers installing arch64. I like fiddling with apps too. One of the first things i did was add the 32bit chroot. it's not that difficult to set up, and it has solved any 64bit issues I have had.

Arch Linux

#1 2008-06-16 12:28:12

Another fence sitter ...

#2 2008-06-16 15:26:09

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#3 2008-06-16 16:13:31

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#4 2008-06-16 18:25:12

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#5 2008-06-16 20:14:20

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#6 2008-06-16 21:03:43

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#7 2008-06-16 21:15:25

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#8 2008-06-16 21:50:46

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#9 2008-06-16 21:52:40

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#10 2008-06-16 22:03:24

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#11 2008-06-17 09:58:13

Re: Another fence sitter ...

#12 2008-06-30 04:04:39

Re: Another fence sitter ...

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