Firma Canonical A statement regarding the revision of plans related to the discontinuation of support for 32-bit x86 architecture in Ubuntu 19.10. After reviewing the comments, by Wine developers and gaming platforms, a decision has been made to provide a separate set of 32-bit packages in Ubuntu 19.10 and 20.04 LTS.
The list of supplied 32-bit packages will be prepared taking into account community preferences and will include components necessary for the continued operation of outdated programs that remain available only in 32-bit format or require 32-bit libraries. If the list turns out to be incomplete and missing packages are identified, the package set is planned to be supplemented even after the release.
It is stated that the discussions and comments that arose after the announcement of the discontinuation of support for the i386 architecture were unexpected for the distribution developers, as the issue of ceasing support for i386 has been discussed in the community and among developers since 2014. The developers of Ubuntu were under the impression that a consensus had been reached on abandoning the support for i386, and that no hidden issues were expected, but it turned out that some points were overlooked during consultations with Valve (note: probably some of those discussing could not assume that it would be decided not just to stop building i386 packages, but also to refuse to form multiarch libraries necessary for launching 32-bit applications in a 64-bit environment).
In the long term, to ensure support for 32-bit applications in releases after Ubuntu 20.04, it is planned to work together with WINE, Ubuntu Studio, and game vendors to develop a solution for using container isolation systems to deliver 32-bit components from the LTS branch of Ubuntu and organize the launching of old applications. Based on Snaps and LXD, it will be possible to prepare the required 32-bit environment and library set.
Przypominamy, że jako powód zaprzestania wsparcia dla architektury i386 podano niemożność utrzymania pakietów na poziomie innych wspieranych architektur w Ubuntu, na przykład z powodu braku dostępu do najnowszych osiągnięć w zakresie bezpieczeństwa i ochrony przed fundamentalnymi lukami typu Spectre dla systemów 32-bitowych. Utrzymanie bazy pakietów dla i386 wymaga dużych zasobów na rozwój i kontrolę jakości, co nie jest uzasadnione z powodu niewielkiej bazy użytkowników (liczba systemów i386 szacowana jest na 1% ogólnej liczby zainstalowanych systemów).
Źródło: opennet.ru
