State of the 64bit?

[Avi Schwartz]

I am currently running 10.04 in with a 32bit kernel on my Dell Studio 
XPS 16 laptop but I am considering switching to 64bit mainly because my 
machine has 8GB RAM of which the 32bit version sees only 3GB.

Few years ago I tried running 64bit but found the experience lacking to 
put it mildly for a desktop. There were issues with Java, Flash and 
other proprietary software.

My question is whether the 64bit situation has improved? I know there is 
currently no 64bit version of flash for Linux (if there will ever be) 
but will the 32bit version run reasonably well in a 64bit environment? 
Good enough for YouTube, Hulu, etc? What about the ATI driver (the 
proprietary one)? Any other issues I need to take into consideration 
while making the decision?

Thanks,
Avi