Re: i386 in the future (was Re: 64-bit time_t transition for 32-bit archs: a proposal)
On Fri, May 19, 2023 at 03:03:40PM +0100, Steve McIntyre wrote:
> Luca Boccassi wrote:
> >On Fri, 19 May 2023 at 12:42, Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> I'm planning on stopping publishing installer images for i386
> >> soon. Why? We should be strongly encouraging users to move away from
> >> it as a main architecture. If they're still installing i386 on 64-bit
> >> hardware, then that's a horrible mistake. If they're still running
> >> i386 *hardware*, then they should be replacing that hardware with more
> >> modern, more capable, more *efficient* stuff.
> >>
> >
> >+1 for stopping publishing installers for i386, it has been mentioned
> >many times but it's always worth repeating: electricity costs to keep
> >running i386 hardware are already way higher than what it costs to buy
> >a cheap, low-power replacement like a raspberry pi, that also provides
> >better performance.
>
> Exactly.
>
> >Just to clarify, by 'soon' here, do you mean for Bookworm too, or post-Bookworm?
>
> I had been thinking about doing similar for installer images too, but
> with other work going on too I think it got too late in the cycle to
> make that change. My plan is therefore to ship i386 installer images
> for bookworm as normal (including bookworm point releases going
> forwards), but to disable those builds for testing/trixie ~immediately
> after the release.
>
I'd honestly suggest *just* publishing DVD1 for i386.
Netinst requires internet access: DVD1 can be used to install a basic
system without this. Scrap *everything else* for i386 installation media.
Update media for i386 - no, really, don't bother. One DVD per point release
and have done with it. The utility for i386 was questioned by me (amongst
others) late in Bookworm planning and it was suggested that it should
be decided for Trixie immediately bookworm is released.
We could make that decision here and now - *definitely* not for Trixie
and minimal effort on i386 installers for Bookworm.
> If people have strong opinions about that plan, let us know please.
>
> --
> Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK. steve@einval.com
> < sladen> I actually stayed in a hotel and arrived to find a post-it
> note stuck to the mini-bar saying "Paul: This fridge and
> fittings are the correct way around and do not need altering"
>
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