A 32-bit package withdrawal in Ubuntu has received a new boost for development. On the discussion platform, Steve Langasek from Canonical , plans to utilize library packages from Ubuntu 18.04. This will allow games and applications for the x86 architecture to be used, however, the libraries themselves will not be supported. In other words, they will remain in the status they received in Ubuntu 18.04.
This will enable the installation and running of games using Steam, Wine, and so on in Ubuntu 19.10. Considering that the 18.04 build will be supported for free until April 2023 and in the paid variant until 2028, the libraries will simply be ported. It is expected that this will partially solve the compatibility issue with 32-bit applications.
Another option is to run games and applications in the Ubuntu 18.04 environment or as snap packages in runtime core18. However, this is unsuitable for running Wine. Moreover, the abandonment of 32-bit libraries will render some Linux printer drivers non-functional. As a result, Valve intends to withdraw official support for Steam in Ubuntu 19.10 and future builds.
Instead of Ubuntu, another distribution is planned to be used, although it is unclear what version it will be. It should be noted that the issue will also affect Linux Mint and some other derivative distributions. On the other hand, the situation may reduce the 'zoo' of current OS options, leading to a more standardized view.
Forrás: 3dnews.ru
