Mandrakesoft today announced the availability of Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official for the AMD64 platform (Athlon64 and Opteron). Mandrakelinux 10.0 for AMD64
delivers all the features and robustness of Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official to the 64-bit platform from AMD, with an average performance gain of 20% compared to the IA32 version. Read more for the rest of the PR:
Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official for Athlon(TM)64 and Opteron(TM) processors provides everything needed for the most demanding computing requirements. More than just a powerful desktop system, this innovative new release offers high-end features such as world-class server capabilities and comprehensive development tools. Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official for AMD64 is an ideal solution for data-intensive tasks such as high-performance databases, video/audio/3D processing, and for applications that require mathematical precision and accuracy.
Speed and High-Performance: Mandrakelinux 10.0 for AMD64 is optimized to take full advantage of the powerful features offered by AMD’s next-generation 64-bit architecture. Linux software for AMD64 is on average 20% faster than a traditional 32-bit system, yet maintains
complete compatibility with existing 32-bit applications.
Details about Mandrakelinux 10.0 for AMD64 are available online at: http://www.mandrakesoft.com/products/10/amd64
Product details:
* Contents: Four CDs
* Price: 119.90 EUR / $129.90 USD
* Availability: VARs + pre-orders available at Mandrakestore: http://www.mandrakestore.com
All Mandrakestore.com AMD64 pre-orders benefit from a 15% rebate, 20% for Mandrakeclub Standard Members and above, 25% for Mandrakeclub Silver Members and above.
I have had a chance to use the beta of MDK’s AMD64 when I was staying at a friend’s over the weekend. It was very stable and incredibly speedy.
Considering that Microsoft will not have anything available for AMD64 until year’s end, Linux proves the power of its distributed development time and again. Not only that, the availability of source code also proves its worth here, because you must ask yourself how many of the apps that will be used with Microsoft’s 64 OS will be true 64-bit apps.
In the case of Mandrake Linux, most apps are now full 64-bit and the difference is noticeable, particularly when doing intensive graphic work. Databases also see an important performance boost.
I toast to the health of all opensource developers. May you live long, healthy and prosperous lives…
“Considering that Microsoft will not have anything available for AMD64 until year’s end, Linux proves the power of its distributed development time and again. Not only that, the availability of source code also proves its worth here, because you must ask yourself how many of the apps that will be used with Microsoft’s 64 OS will be true 64-bit apps.”
So what does this have to do with anything? I could swear the article was about Linux, not Microsoft. You didn’t need that in there, you just wanted to go on some rant about how Microsoft is bad and Linux is the holy grail.
What does this have to do with anything, you ask?
It’s exactly on-topic, to the point, well thought out entry.
The point is, this is out now, as opposed to Q4, because the open-source model makes a faster release schedule possible. Therefore, kudos to the open-source model.
But Erik, thats not what I’m saying. I’m saying what did the first poster bring up Microsoft in a non-Microsoft related article? Oh and screw you to whoever hit the report abuse link. That was a valid concern.
This is great news. The move to 64-Bit is well underway. Solaris, Linux… This fresh frontier will initially provide a lot of choices.
–EyeAm
I tried Mandrake 9.2 for AMD64 and was very impressed with the
stability and similarity with the i586 version. I found that
32-bit OpenGL games crashed often and some parts like map loading did not complete. I am hopeful that mandrake 10 will
have solved these problems. Currently running Mandrake 10,
i586 version on my AMD64 system. Plan to try 10 AMD64 when I
see discussions of successful 32-bit OpenGL applications.
That was a valid concern.
No it wasn’t. I hear many people on the forums saying they are holding off buying a 64-bit system because there is no 64-bit OS available. While Microsoft drags their heels, Linux took the lead as the first officially available 64-bit OS. Microsoft always used to love claiming to be the “first” to do something. Now they are in the position of playing catch-up.
Criticizing Microsoft for delaying XP64 is perfectly within our rights as consumers. Praising others who get the job done is also within out rights as consumers. To say that Microsoft shouldn’t be criticized because the article is about Mandrake betrays your Microsoft bias.
Criticizing Microsoft for delaying XP64 is perfectly within our rights as consumers. Praising others who get the job done is also within out rights as consumers. To say that Microsoft shouldn’t be criticized because the article is about Mandrake betrays your Microsoft bias.
Of course, you’re right – having the source code available gives Linux the advantage here to help it be the first out the starting gate. The fact that MS still has no OS available for AMD64 is a valid criticism, so that is not the question. The question is whether it was really approriate to bring up here, as it is a little off topic. Saying that MS has no OS yet for this processor is doing little more than stating the obvious, and another case of OSS zealots bashing Microsoft at any and every opprotunity, whether it is on topic or not.
“Saying that MS has no OS yet for this processor is doing little more than stating the obvious, and another case of OSS zealots bashing Microsoft at any and every opprotunity, whether it is on topic or not.”
talking about competition is very natural. say kde in gnome threads or amd in intel threads or whatever. its not zealotry
“That was a valid concern.”
The concern was that someone brought up Windows in a Mandrake thread. Well, it’s for comparison’s sake, which I think is fine. They were comparing Windows release history and schedule (for a AMD64 native implementation of the OS) with Mandrake’s. Mandrake got there before Microsoft. Mandrake wasn’t the first, but both Microsoft and Mandrake cater to the home user and try at some level to make their OS’s work well with new hardware, so it’s fair to compare their performance.
Mandrake delivered not only the core OS in AMD64 native before Microsoft, which Microsoft could have done, but also delivered hundreds of apps in native 64-bit format, which Microsoft could not have done. I’m not convinced that Microsoft couldn’t have beaten Mandrake on the core OS, if they had wanted to, but they don’t have the same flexibility to recompile existing apps to take advantage of the new chip architecture, since only a few open source apps are avaliable for Windows.
All in all, a win for Mandrake and a win for Mandrake’s customers.
Erik
I have seen no news about it but I think Mandrake 10.0 Official for i586 is also out, or is this old news…sorry. http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/ftp.php3
oops:
http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=6723
any benchmarks to bolster the claim of 20% or so improvement when using 64-bit?
in theory 64-bit should be slower since more data is being moved around (e.g. during a function call and return) — unless this 64-bit version extensively makes use of the additional registers (and even SSE2) of AMD64 to optimize stuff.
My thoughts exactly. They site “20% faster than a traditional 32-bit system”
What is the clock speed or PR rating of a “traditional 32-bit system”
Statistics are useless without the metric.
BTW, on the Microsoft thing, the beta version was out the gate a long time ago. I am usually not much a conspiracy theorist but I can’t help but to feel MS is partly letting Intel play catch up so they can:
A) Let Intel catch up
B) Better support both CPU archs
C) Let Intel catch up
is linux the first 64 bit OS?
i really dont know, 64 bit processors are not new by any means, and that is why im asking.
I rember reading about NetBSD and that it was the first OS to support USB. so i am atleast willing to bet linux MIGHT not be the first.
the transition for linux (bsd etc) apps is quite a bit better due to the solid programmers already incorporating those concepts that utilize 64 bit goodness.
it still has a ways to go of course, but its had a very good ground to start from thats for sure. the kernel obviosly being an important component so grats to the developers for taking advantage of the new procs.
if anyone knows of the first OS to support 64bit, reply id really be interested, and if it is linux, thats cool!
What people forget about Opeteron/AMD64, unlike Intels half-baked 64bit compatible version, the AMD version has NX security, meaning, if one were to run Windows or Linux, they will also have the ability to harness this new feature for a more secure operating system.
is linux the first 64 bit OS?
Nice to see you spend so little time reading the article. Linux was the first operating system to support AMD64/Opteron/x86-64.
… of course, 64bits UNIXes have been around for a least ten years on other platforms. There is 64bits version Solaris ( Sparc ) , HPUX 11 ( PA-RISC ), AIX ( POWER ), Tru64 ( Alphas )…
There is some confusing about PC processors. There are effectively taking the lead on performance but are by no way innovative on some points like 64bits, SIMD and multiprocessing.
could it be in intel’s interest to delay windows for x86-64 for as long as possible?
net bsd got in the pretty early too .. if not earlier than linux. certainly netbsd’s port was much more stable and usable than many linux distributions were even 4 months ago (and yesm even gentoo was problematic)
Jun. 22, 2001: http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/netbsd/2001-q2/0110.html
CVS committed: http://slashdot.org/bsd/01/06/22/192225.shtml
and a paper describing the port briefly…
http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/rd/0%2C552552%2C1%2C0.25~*~…
> in theory 64-bit should be slower since more data is being moved around (e.g. during a function call and return)
ints are still 32-bit, only pointers are longer on AMD64 than on x86.
> — unless this 64-bit version extensively makes use of the additional registers (and even SSE2) of AMD64 to optimize stuff.
Why should the gcc stay away from the additional 8 GPRs?
After all it runs on other platforms with 32 GPRs for some time and I’d doubt it wouldn’t make use of all GPRs if possible.
Are there any torrents up for this yet?
my question had zip to do with AMD, athlon, opteron or anything like that.
it was about 64bit, someone said that linux was the first to support 64bit. (read that again and tell me what exactly that has to do with AMD, opteron, athlon) ZERO.
nice to see you dont pay attention to replies.
*NIX operating systems have supported 64bit cpus pretty much since they came out (which is a hell of a long time before AMD or intel jumped on board, can anyone say alpha?) XP already has a 64bit version, but it isnt available for sale, just came bundled with some highend itanium workstations from dell (if i remember right).
yeah, shows alot of class, the company just came out of chapter 11 and you’re still unwilling to support them. at the very least, chip in with a few friends and buy it, the liscence allows that and at least your giving them something. its not even like they are asking for much…
and if you were talking about mandrake club or the community version torrents, just take the exact opposit of everything i said…
hehe, /me just wasnt thinking…
it’s alright, most of us don’t think. And you’re right – i should contribute if I am going to expect to grab the newest version right away.
-i- didn’t think about that.
🙂
and of course there’s been a 64-bit Windows before – there used to be a version of NT that ran on Alphas…