Moving to 64 bit Ubuntu

After 3 Ubuntu upgrades on my primary workhorse (a Lenovo Thinkpad z61t) I decided it was time for a fresh install to remove all the cruft. In the past I’ve always used 32 bit Ubuntu (even though my laptop is a 64 bit Core 2 duo) because of issues with the Flash plugin, Java plugin, and Skype. After backing up my files I bit the bullet and did a fresh install of 64 bit Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex and in the process also decided to give XFS a shot instead of EXT3 as my primary filesystem.

I’m pleased to say that after 3 hours I had the install done and all of my software installed and working including Jetbrains IDEA, Netbeans, Skype, VirtualBox, Flash plugin, Java plugin, Web Developer Toolbar, and Firebug. Apparently things have gotten a little better for 64 bit Linux over the past year and a half! However, I’m still running into odd issues every now and again related to both Sun’s 64 bit Java (IDE and Jetty occasionally hangs) and the the Open JDK browser plugin which is still buggy. Hopefully future updates will help address these issues. Anyhow, I thought I’d throw out the links I used to get everything working:

Fonts
Howto: Install Mac Fonts on Ubuntu
Make Firefox in Ubuntu look much better

Skype
Add the Medibuntu repository
sudo apt-get install skype-static

Flash plugin
Install Flash 10 Under Ubuntu Linux 64 bit Edition

Java plugin
sudo apt-get install openjdk-6-jre icedtea-gcjwebplugin