[cooker-amd64] Re: Re: suggest the right configuration

[Duncan]

Francesco posted <200401261705.46191.francesco_melo@tiscali.it>, excerpted
below,  on Mon, 26 Jan 2004 17:05:46 +0100:

> thanks ...
> i don't need a dual cpu
> before  linux i follow all teh new hardware upgrade but now i am with an
> amd athlon 1700xp i can sell it to a friend and change with a new cpu i
> thought amd64
> i dont' need to play or other hi end uses

If that's the situation, briefly repeating what I said in longer form
earlier,  I'd definitely recommend either the straight Athlon-64, or
simply sticking with a standard Athlon, depending on how soon you expect
to be upgrading hardware again.  (Two years or less, I'd recommend
sticking with 32-bit hardware, as 64-bit will only get better, working out
the kinks of the present first edition, and cheaper.  Three to four years,
and it's possible you will be wishing for a 64-bit solution to run
something or other, b4 your next update, but it's up to you.  Two to three
years.. harder to say, depends on your usage and whether you are likely to
be wanting to use something new, developed for 64-bit, b4 then, or not.) 
In any case, as I suggested, it's probably best to stick with a 32-bit
platform at this point unless you LIKE the frustrations and opportunities
of being an early adopter, with less choices available and less stability.
i586 is the dominant platform of broadest choice and support currently,
and will likely remain reasonably so for at least 18 months or so.  One of
the beliefs behind AMD64 at this point, is that if it's available, apps
will be created to use it, even tho there's nothing that really needs it
on the desktop at this point.  Beyond 18 months, it's hard to predict what
those "they will come" apps will be, or even if they will for sure appear,
thus, it's hard to predict how "must have 64-bit" or "must have app" these
new things will be, and therefore hard to predict how quickly after that
64-bit will become mainstream, to the point where there's as much
available for it as for i586.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." --
Benjamin Franklin