what is 32-bit distribution

Hello pin,
Firstly thanks for your question,
In computer architecture, 32-bit integers, memory addresses, or other data units are those that are at most 32 bits (4 octets) wide. Also, 32-bit CPU and ALU architectures are those that are based on registers, address buses, or data buses of that size. 32-bit is also a term given to a generation of computers in which 32-bit processors were the norm.

The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295 or −2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647 using two's complement encoding. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GiB of byte-addressable memory.

The external address and data buses are often wider than 32 bits but both of these are stored and manipulated internally in the processor as 32-bit quantities. For example, the Pentium Pro processor is a 32-bit machine, but the external address bus is 36 bits wide, and the external data bus is 64 bits wide.

Prominent 32-bit processors include the Intel 80386, 80486, and Pentium series, and the Motorola 68000 series. The Motorola 68000 is externally 16 bits long; however, it has 32-bit general purpose registers, arithmetic units, and is forwards-compatible with all 32-bit software.

So in short, 32 bits is called the "WORD LENGTH" of the processor you are using...

and any linux distribution which runs and is supported on these type of processors are called 32-bit distributions...

Hope the info helped,

Cheers,

br,

Bhavani Shankar.

Quite a nice answer, but i'd like to make it simpler. :)

If your processor is 64-bit you can usually use 32-bit or 64-bit distribution. If it's 32-bit you use 32-bit distribution.

If unsure let us know the name of the processor or find it here:
- AMD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_K6
- Intel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_microprocessors

Sorry, first link should have been: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_microprocessors.