On Sunday 16 October 2005 09:24 am, Randall R Schulz wrote:
Ben,
On Saturday 15 October 2005 23:52, B. Stia wrote:
[ Lots and of details about his Java installation elided. ]
I agree the whole Java situation is a bit of a mess, right now. The whole /etc/alternatives "switchboard" concept was probably not its inventor's finest hour, either.
What I'm not sure I get is why you place so much importance on the 64-bit plug-ins. Unless you use sites with plug-ins extensively, why don't you just switch to a 32-bit browser for those times when you need to run an applet. I don't think you'll notice much difference in the performance of the Java code between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
Randall, Wellll.....you are absolutely correct. No doubt about it. Main reason is that I am pig-headed and stubborn, and once I move forward I do not like to retreat. Guess what I will do is see if the Blackdown plugins work or just wait it out for Sun.
My general impression is that 64-bit systems are still not as well supported as desktops as are the fare more mature 32-bit ones. I'm thinking of getting a 64-bit system, mostly just for experimentation and experience purposes and to see what kind of performance increases they provide for compute-intensive applications like my theorem prover (written in Java, in fact).
I think you will like the performance increase for your basic OS. Most apps work just fine (with the exception of 64 bit Mozilla/Firefox) of course. Thanks Steve and Randall for all or your trouble, insight, expertise, etc. It helps knowing what the guru's on this list think and that it is not just my ineptitude or ignorance. Makes me feel better about these small niggling things. Bob S.