32-Bit vs. 64-Bit Ubuntu
All users who can use it are better off using the 64-bit version of Ubuntu. The main difference has to do with how a computer processor is able to register and use memory, but speed is also a factor. Here is why.
A computer with a 32-bit processor will be able to use a maximum of 4GB of memory (actually a bit less, but this is a more practical-focused book and not a computer science text, so the approximation is close enough for our uses; and yes, there are exceptions, but this is a reasonable rule of thumb for those just getting started). A computer with a 64-bit processor will be able to use up to a theoretical limit of 17 billion GB. More memory addresses means that you can store more data in RAM, which is much faster ...
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