What you should (and shouldn't) expect from 64-bit Linux (Linux.com)

What you should (and shouldn't) expect from 64-bit Linux (Linux.com)

The original article looks like a bit outdated, if I compare it with my
own experience.

I switched to a 64bit Fedora more than one year ago, because I think makes
sense for a sys admin to explore strange, new worlds and (fore)see the
potential problems in a production environment.

I didn't do real benchmark, but at the switching time I had the
distinctive feeling that Gnome was faster, and in a noticeable way.

First time were a bit difficult, as there is not working and free
virtualization technique available for 64bit system, being VmWare not free
and qemu and Wine unworking.

Things have been changed, and now my current configuration includes a
Fedora 5/x86_64 (which supports wine, I didn't test it at all but I do not
understand why the original writer defines it "problematic", I assume that
if it has been packetized for Fedora it's because it reasonably works),
and (that's the key point) a Vmware which runs a Windows XP/Fedora 32
bit/whatever when I need to do some tests or, more practically, see a
Flash-enabled site (like youtube). Also Vmware was capable of supporting
some hardware Linux does not (webcam and cellphone).

The release of free (as beer) Vmware for Linux was a big helps, it
alleviates the need of a 64bit Flash player, altough other options are
viable (I read on Lwn about a 64bit->32bit wrapper for Firefox), but the
whole point is that, if you start to think to your desktop system as a
collection of operating systems (enabled via some kind of virtualization
technology) you eventually have no shortcomings at all, so there is no
need to switch back to a 32bit Linux, you can keep the (little or more)
extra power for free.