Bug#1036358: release-notes: Debian 12 expected to be last release w/ installer for i386
RL wrote:
> Ansgar <ansgar@43-1.org> writes:
>> On Fri, 2023-05-19 at 15:03 +0100, Steve McIntyre wrote:
>>> 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 suggest to already document this in the release notes for bookworm,
>> possibly in Section 2.1 (Supported architectures) or a subsection in
>> Section 5 (Issues to be aware of for bookworm).
>
> I suspect few would re-read 2.1 on upgrade... but is release-notes is
> the best place to document what new installs can use? (maybe doesnt
> matter as there wont be any new installs!)
I would expect a debian-announce message when it happens.
>> Maybe something along these lines:
>>
>> +---
>> | Debian 12 is expected to be the last Debian release providing
>> | full support for i386. Debian 13 will only partially support
>> | i386 and no longer provide installation media for i386.
>> |
>> | We recommend hosts still running the i386 port to be upgraded
>> | to amd64. Legacy i386 software can be run using multi-arch,
>> | chroot environments or containers.
>> +---
>
> We already have a bit about i386 now meaning i686, but i think OK to
> keep separate as that one is bookworm, and this is for the future
>
> Adding links to explain jargon and adding markup: im hope ive got the right
> arch-related entities right here...
>
> <section id="i386-loses-full-support-from-trixie" arch="i386">
> <title>
> Bookworm is the last Debian release with full support for &arch-title;
> <!-- i assume ok to capitalise 'B'ookworm here? saying 'Debian
> bookworm' looked unneccessary -->
> </title>
Title lines don't need to be full sentences; this could be just
"&arch-title; support to be reduced from trixie".
> <para>
> The next release, trixie, will not have full support for the
> &architecture; architecture, for example there will be no official
> installer. <!-- i assume people would object to saying that i386 is deprecated? -->
> </para>
Do we need a mention of the reason (i.e. that an increasing number of
upstreams are no longer supporting it)?
Perhaps the angle the Release Notes should be taking on this is to
announce what's going to happen for dist-upgrades to trixie/forkie.
When do we stop producing official Release Notes?
> <para>
> Debian recommends converting systems using the &architecture;
> architecture to the 64-bit
> PC architecture (known as <literal>amd64</literal>) before bookworm
> becomes unsupported: <!-- any link to instructions to convert?
> could make the work 'converting' a link to the amd64 installer if
> nothing else ? -->
How about "https://wiki.debian.org/CrossGrading";? I was worried that it
might be a pre-systemd relic, but apparently not.
> most computers manufactured since 2000<!-- AFAICS --> can use
> <literal>amd64</literal>.
I'd have guessed later, given that the i386 arch held the lead in
popcon until 2012 ("https://www.debian.org/News/weekly/2012/17/";), but
this may just be because I use junk hardware.
> </para>
> <para>
> You can still run legacy 32-bit software on 64-bit systems using <ulink
> url="&url-wiki;SystemVirtualization">containers</ulink>
> <!-- did we use 'virtual machines' instead of 'containers' elsewhere? -->
> or in <ulink
> url="&url-wiki;Multiarch/HOWTO">multi-arch</ulink>
> <ulink url="&url-wiki;chroot">chroots</ulink>.
> </para>
> </section>
>
> (but shld use the &url-wiki; entity for wiki links)
>
> Perhaps https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=995397 (Xen no
> longer supports 32-bit Xen PV guests) also relevent to the last para.
It would make a relevant link for the "increasing number of upstreams"
I was mentioning.
--
JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package
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