gnu/linux on AMD: 64-bit or 32-bit?

[Bill Ricker]

The KERNEL is sure ready ... but which Distro will support *you* on
AMD64 is the question.

As Jerry said, Linux kernel has been 64-bit since forever on Alpha ...
Alpha doesn't do 32-bit backward nothing, there's no other choice.
Debian does fine on Alpha for me, and is starting to support AMD64. I
hear good things about Gentoo on Alpha, as long as you get the compile
flags right it should build everything 64bit.  (The Debian ALPHA Build
charts will warn you what packages have 64-bit portability problems
and should be compiled 32-bit in Gentoo, if Gentoo doesn't
automatically force them to 32 bit.)

At work, we're deploying RHEL AS4 on AMD64 as 64bit first, since it
brings out the 64-bit goodness of the Opterons.  I'm just hoping to
get one of my DL585's upgraded from AS3 (32bit on 64bit hardware, what
a waste) to RH EL AS 4.  I have to assume FC4/FC5 is cool with AMD64
"from the box" if RHEL4 is? Jim says he's using FC5_64. CENTOS might
do AMD64 too?

Google is your friend ...
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-amd64.xml
http://www.debian.org/ports/amd64/
http://pcburn.com/help-AMD_Athlon_64bit.php
http://www.google.com/custom?domains=DistroWatch.com&q=AMD-64&sitesearch=DistroWatch.com&sa=Search&hl=en

Good luck,

Bill