[K12OSN] Re: [Ltsp-discuss] When will Redhat's K12LTSP releaseiso's for x86-64?

[Eric Harrison]

On Tue, 9 Nov 2004, [windows-1252] "Terrell Prudé, Jr." wrote:

>Jim Kronebusch wrote:
>
>>>3.)  Another option would be to load the x86-64 version of 
>>>any GNU/Linux 
>>>distro (FC3, SuSE, etc.) and install LTSP on it. 

>>The only Doom and Gloom I have had with it is it doesn't seem as
>>complete.  If I remember most of the Edutainment programs are missing by
>>default.  But it was easy to install the couple times I tried it.  I
>>just wish it was as all inclusive of an add-on as what comes with the
>>K12LTSP bundle.

>I guess it depends on who your audience is.  For middle and high school 
>students, you probably don't need them.  My middle school kids, as an 
>example, use OO.o, Mozilla and/or Firefox, and the GIMP.  They really 
>don't need more than that to do their classwork.  Thus, LTSP would be 
>just as fine for them as K12LTSP.  If you're dead-set on these 
>"edutainment" programs, then perhaps you might want to stick with the 
>32-bit K12LTSP instead of going for 64 bits.  Again, that hot new 
>Opteron server will handle 32-bit systems just fine...and fast as all 
>heck, too.

I'll be testing this with the FC3 build of K12LTSP (which I *should*
be working on right now, but the jet-lag is hitting me hard ;-). The
theory is that the K12LTSP-specific binaries should install just fine
on the x86-64 build of FC3.

I have one school district that is now buying Opterons. In 32bit mode,
they are so much faster than Xeons that it is simply embarrasing. A
dual 1.6Ghz Opteron box is clearly faster than a dual 2.8Ghz Xeon box.

We did some testing with FC1 & FC2 in 64bit mode, but there were too
many gotchas*. We'll see how FC3 fairs. With Intel following AMD's
taillights, within a year 64bit support will MUCH more common than
it is right now. If you have Opertons and find you need to drop back
to pure 32-bit software, do not dispair, I don't think it will be
long before all the gotchas are ironned out. In the meantime, they
are still really fast.

-Eric

* gotchas were mostly related to third-party software, such as the
  lack of a x86-64 Java VM... which now exists...