Ubuntu stops packaging for 32-bit x86 architecture

Two years since 32-bit install images for the x86 architecture were discontinued, the Ubuntu developers made a decision about the complete completion of the life cycle of this architecture in the distribution. Starting with the fall release of Ubuntu 19.10, i386 architecture packages will no longer be generated in the repository.

The last LTS branch for users of 32-bit x86 systems will be Ubuntu 18.04, which will be supported until April 2023 (on a paid subscription until 2028). All official editions of the project (Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, etc.), as well as derivative distributions (Linux Mint, Pop_OS, Zorin, etc.) will not be able to supply versions for the 32-bit x86 architecture, as they are assembled from a common package base with Ubuntu (most editions have already stopped supplying installation images for i386).

To ensure that existing 32-bit applications that cannot be rebuilt for 64-bit systems (for example, many games on Steam remain only in 32-bit builds) run on Ubuntu 19.10 and newer releases offered use a separate environment with Ubuntu 18.04 installed in a container or chroot, or package the application in a snap package with core18 runtime libraries based on Ubuntu 18.04.

The reason given for deprecating the i386 architecture is the impossibility of maintaining packages at the level of other architectures supported by Ubuntu due to insufficient support in the Linux kernel, toolkit and browsers. In particular, recent developments in security enhancements and fundamental vulnerabilities are no longer developed in a timely manner for 32-bit x86 systems and are only available for 64-bit architecture.

In addition, maintaining the package base for the i386 requires a lot of development and quality control resources, which are not justified by a small user base that continues to use outdated hardware. The number of i386 systems is estimated at 1% of the total installed systems. Most PCs and laptops with Intel and AMD processors released in the last 10 years can be converted to 64-bit mode without any problems. Hardware that does not support 64-bit mode is already so old that it does not have the necessary computing resources to run the latest releases of Ubuntu Desktop.

Source: opennet.ru