Show a process' architecture in Ubuntu, a la 64-bit Windows?

[Michiko]

Okay, this is for the Linux evangelists in this forum.

Sometimes I have to deal with 64-bit Ubuntu Maverick. Is there any way to find out whether a process is 32 or 64 bit without messing with the command line and /proc? 64-bit Windows' task manager adds "*32" to anything 32-bit -- I'm thinking of a Linux version of that, as sinful as it sounds to copy things from Windows, lol.

 

[Corny]

hmmm i have never used a 64bit linux machine .. so what have you tried already?

top, htop, the gnome/kde system monitors?

 

[Michiko]

GNOME system monitor (which doesn't say anything), and the command line.

 

[T-Rexx]

I don't know of any graphical system monitors for Ubuntu which include the bit process architecture as part of the notifications provided by that monitor.

I think that Ubuntu system monitors (like the Gnome System Monitor and htop) don't include the bit architecture because it is so unusual to run 32 bit applications on 64 bit Ubuntu. While it is common to run 32 bit applications on 64 bit Windows, processes running on 64 bit Ubuntu will almost always be 64 bit processes. In fact, I believe that Ubuntu 64 "out of the box" will not even run 32 bit programs - you need to install the 32 bit libraries before you can do this.

The ecosystems between Linux and Windows are very different. The vast majority of what you run on Ubuntu will typically be installed from a repository. Ubuntu 64 will always fetch the 64 bit version of whatever from the repository, of course (or it will tell you that the program in question is not available). When 32 bit processes are run on 64 bit Ubuntu, these are almost always commercial (nonfree) programs. Most Linux users do not use that many commercial programs.

In the nonfree Windows world, it would be far too expensive to have to update all your 32 bit programs to run on 64 bit Windows. So, Windows 64 includes 32-bit compatibility by default. Since it is common to run 32 bit applications on 64 bit Windows, the Windows system monitor lets you know when this is happening.

If you do not install the 32 bit libraries in Ubuntu 64, you will get an incompatible process notification from the system when you attempt to execute a 32 bit process. Installing the 32 bit libraries is very easy. Just open a terminal session and type:

[B]sudo apt-get install ia32-libs[/B]

Here is a discussion about installing the 32 bit libraries in 64 bit Linux/Ubuntu.

 

[Michiko]

I know that, I am not a complete Linux n00b, lol. I have ia32-libs installed, and a few pieces of nonfree software (there's probably no one as far removed from Richard Stallman than myself), as well as some free software. It is like you said -- 64-bit Ubuntu doesn't run 32-bit applications at all unless ia32-libs and the like are installed. Oh well, I guess I'll have to use the command line then...

By the way, I noticed that Ubuntu never closes its privilege elevation prompt -- I mean, it asks for your password, then you click "authenticate", and then the text box disappears. You have to close the window manually... I'm surprised that that bug hasn't been corrected in the two months that have passed since the last release.

By the way, T-Rexx... is it that you like dinosaurs, or you have an OS/2 past?

 

[T-Rexx]

there's probably no one as far removed from Richard Stallman than myself

Bad Michiko!

By the way, I noticed that Ubuntu never closes its privilege elevation prompt -- I mean, it asks for your password, then you click "authenticate", and then the text box disappears. You have to close the window manually... I'm surprised that that bug hasn't been corrected in the two months that have passed since the last release.

Not sure what you mean here. I have not seen this behavior.

By the way, T-Rexx... is it that you like dinosaurs, or you have an OS/2 past?

OMG! How did you know! I still have OS/2 on the original floppies!

But the first program I ever wrote was on a Univac!

 

[Michiko]

But the first program I ever wrote was on a Univac!

You're older than I thought... lol. I've never seen anything older than an 80286-based PC compatible in real life. My OS/2 experience is limited to basic Warp 4...