32 bit libraries with a 64 bit JVM

Question

So, I am currently wrestling with my local IT support at work, trying to decide if I need x32 or x64 bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) in my new development environment.

I am curious: What are the pros/cons of each system architecture ? I will be using primarily Eclipse to do my coding, with several command line utilities to assist. (Git, ANT, etc.) I will also be using numerous plugins, such as EGit, Window Builder Pro, and others.

The IT guy is worried that if i ask for x64 now, in a week I'll be calling him back asking for x32 because some piece of software I need isn't supported.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

Go for 64 bit.

Eclipse and java works fine.

You may have the odd legacy 32 bit binary but if you install the 32 bit libraries it will run fine too.

The massive advantage is that you can have more than 3GB of ram in a process - quite important when doing java stuff in my experience ;-)

Answer 2

Pro: way more memory is accessible.

Con: you need to have 64-bit versions of any native libraries you use.