Ubuntu - NO 32 bit release with 17.10 or later

[GreyGeek]

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/new...linux-distros/

So, if you are running 32 bit hardware Ubuntu and its derivatives will not be able to run on your machine. The Ubuntu team plans to continue to offer security updates and bug fixes for existing 32 bit installations until the EOL, but they won't be offering new 32 bit ISO images with 17.10 and beyond.

In other news, the LTS Kernels will extend their support to six years.
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pa...-LTS-Six-Years

Linux right now offers a "Long Term Support" release where support for the kernel branch is maintained for two years, which is nice compared to kernel releases usually dropping maintenance around N+1.1 after the release. But moving forward, Linux LTS releases will now be maintained for six years.

The reason? To correspond to life time cycles of Android phones.

[Bings]

As I understand, the derivatives will still be offering 32 bit for 17.10. Just not main Ubuntu.

[claydoh]

As I understand, the derivatives will still be offering 32 bit for 17.10. Just not main Ubuntu.

Yes I don't believe Lubuntu will be dropping 32 bit support any time soon, for example.

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[GreyGeek]

Yes I don't believe Lubuntu will be dropping 32 bit support any time soon, for example.

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What is Lubuntu based on, if not Ubuntu. And if Ubuntu stops issuing 32bit versions of their OS what is Lubuntu going to do?

[claydoh]

What is Lubuntu based on, if not Ubuntu. And if Ubuntu stops issuing 32bit versions of their OS what is Lubuntu going to do?

Reading the article, it seems to indicate a stoppage creating iso images with 32 bit software. It also indicates that xubuntu and lubuntu will most likely continue to create 32 bit isos.

I haven't asked any lubuntu acquaintances about it yet or looked at the actual meeting and decision notes but but the lack of iso images is not the same as lack of 32 bit packages, at this point.

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[vinnywright]

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/re...sktop-i386.iso

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/re...sktop-i386.iso

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/re...sktop-i386.iso

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mat...sktop-i386.iso

VINNY

[acheron]

https://twitter.com/LubuntuOfficial/...32513234096128

Just to clear up any misconceptions, even though Ubuntu Desktop is dropping i386 (32 bit) ISOs, Lubuntu will continue to support it.

Lubuntu i386 support will continue as it always has.

As far as I know from Lubuntu people, they will continue to ship i386 builds and iso as long as the ubuntu infra allows. Ubuntu have not announced the end for any technical capability for flavours in that regard.

[GreyGeek]

This continuance seems to indicate a growing divergence from the Ubuntu base.


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[claydoh]

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ub...er/004213.html

Dear Release team,
>
> Please action the below and remove Ubuntu Desktop i386 daily-live
> images from the release manifest for Beta and Final milestones of
> 17.10 and therefore do not ship ubuntu-desktop-i386.iso artifact for
> 17.10.
>
> As a followup to this thread it has been confirmed that argumentation
> below is sound, and furthermore there is no longer any effective qa or
> testing of the desktop product on actual i386 hardware (explicitly non
> x86_64 CPUs).
>
> There are no other changes requested to d-i, mini.iso, archive, or the
> upgrade paths.

Done. What this means is that Ubuntu desktop is not releasing i386 with
the final beta, and we won't build i386 ISOs any more.

Other flavours are unaffected and, as xnox said, existing installations
that are on i386 on a previous release will be able to upgrade to 17.10
and 18.04 when they are released and they'll continue to be supported as
normal.

Cheers,

--
Iain Lane [ iain at orangesquash.org.uk ]
Debian Developer [ laney at debian.org ]
Ubuntu Developer [ laney at ubuntu.com ]

i.e: the Ubuntu Mini iso, and the Ubuntu archive itself will continue as it does now, providing i386 packages (which includes kernels), and will do so through 18.04's life cycle, is normal.
Also note , as I have highlighted above, that there are virtually no users testing isos on actual i386 hardware. I know from some experience that any i386 iso user testing done for Kubuntu has not been done on actual i386
hardware in quite some time afaik.

It seems logical and reasonable to define an appropriate, considerate time and method to end support for 32 bit. 2023 is quite a way off, right now.

[jglen490]

Good. There are still some very useful 32-bit hardware platforms that are alive and well. I run a 32-bit Ubuntu based Mint on my Toshiba laptop. For my desktop, I will likely run a 64-bit version of the next LTS. Not that I expect any amazing increase in performance because of that; rather, just because. It's also a given that at some point there are software packages that will no longer be developed in 32-bit form (i.e., FF as it moves on), which will drive 32-bit platform users to other solutions.

And so it goes ...