Comment 121 for bug 585940

I do not agree with SDonatas who states : "From present marketing perspective, maybe for new users 32 bit version would be better, just because it is less buggy (at least some people say, but I not feel that) and for 32 bit versions it is easy to install native codecs, flash, adobe air, restricted extras etc, But 64 bit is the future and therefore strategically this version is more important"

I totally disagree : I much prefer honesty than misleading marketing one-liners.. Because here, you are putting the "manufacturer" or its marketing strategy at the center of interest, not the end-user. Remember that since several years, we've evolved to a "customer-centric" paradigm... Thus, I understand the reasons as Matthew Nuzum states "We don't recommend 64bit on desktops when the simplest user experience is desired". And I would add "when such a configuration would work flawlessly for any type of system, more over when assuming that many of the average desktop "John-Doe" user will not really know about its own system capability". As such, even "marketing-wise" it's better to recommend the 32bit version since it removes potential hassles and bad user experiences...

However I MUST agree with the dilemma in regards to the wording itself : even if the "not recommended" has been removed near the 64bit selection, the word "recommended" cannot be used for the 32bit OS, since for many users having more than 4GB RAM, it's just a VERY bad recommendation (who would appreciate an OS ditching several Gig$ of RAM or CPU potential - and thus the user's money - in the toilet?)... IMHO, a LINK should be provided near this "recommendation" so as to clarify any doubt.

Here's what such a "recommendation" could fall down to : if you [have or need or plan to have] more than 3GB RAM (say you often use GIMP or video encoding/creation tools), AND you have a 64bit processor AND you don't use a specific program known to have bugs under a 64bit OS, then go for that 64bit OS version. Else, or if you don't know ziltch about the later, you should stick with a 32bit OS.