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In Fedora 31, 32-bit i686 is 86ed

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Red Hat

The release of Fedora 31 drops the 32-bit i686 kernel, and as a result bootable images. While there may be users out there who still have hardware which will not work with the 64-bit x86_64 kernel, there are very few. However, this article gives you the whole story behind the change, and what 32-bit material you’ll still find in Fedora 31.

The i686 architecture essentially entered community support with the Fedora 27 release. Unfortunately, there are not enough members of the community willing to do the work to maintain the architecture. Don’t worry, though — Fedora is not dropping all 32-bit packages. Many i686 packages are still being built to ensure things like multilib, wine, and Steam will continue to work.

While the repositories are no longer being composed and mirrored out, there is a koji i686 repository which works with mock for building 32-bit packages, and in a pinch to install 32-bit versions which are not part of the x86_64 multilib repository. Of course, maintainers expect this will see limited use. Users who simply need to run a 32-bit application should be able to do so with multilib on a 64-bit system.

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Fedora drops 32-bit Linux

  • Fedora drops 32-bit Linux

    Seven years ago, Linus Torvalds dropped "ancient-386-CPUs" support from the Linux kernel, dismissing it with "good riddance." While 32-bit Linux lingered on, it was no longer part of Linux's mainstream. Gradually, distributions such as Arch Linux dumped it, as well. Then, Canonical decided to boot 32-bit Linux out of Ubuntu, and people threw a fit. Canonical backed off and returned some 32-bit Linux libraries. Now, it's time to see what people think of Fedora Linux dropping support for its last 32-bit -- i686 -- Linux.

    This has been coming for some time. Fedora's developer first proposed getting rid of this 32-kernel when it was putting together Fedora 27 in 2017. The last 32-bit version was given a reprieve to see if the Fedora community would keep it afloat without any Red Hat help. It didn't.

Fedora to drop support for 32-bit Linux with Fedora 31

  • Fedora to drop support for 32-bit Linux with Fedora 31

    Linux distributions have slowly but steadily started dropping support for 32-bit (i686) machines, and Fedora looks to be the latest distro to shed the past. Fedora 31, set to release on October 29, will no longer support 32-bit Linux.

    In a post on the Fedora Wiki, Justin Forbes (the maintainer of the Fedora kernel) said that the team behind the Linux distro would “stop producing i686 bootable images.” Forbes reasons that “most x86 hardware support 64bit (sic) these days.” Forbes also referred to the lack of community development since the release of Fedora 27, when 32-bit development was moved to a “community-supported” status.

Fedora Linux wisely kills 32-bit version

  • Fedora Linux wisely kills 32-bit version

    I fondly remember building my first-ever 64-bit computer with an AMD 3200+ processor. While it seems like only yesterday, the reality is, that was more than 15 years ago! Yes, 64-bit consumer chips have been around that long, showing how asinine it is for operating systems to still support outdated 32-bit hardware in 2019. Shockingly, Microsoft has 32-bit Windows 10, while countless Linux distributions support the antiquated hardware too. Sigh.

    Thankfully, the good folks that develop the excellent Fedora Linux distribution have finally had enough. Beginning with the upcoming version 31 of the operating system, i686 32-bit processor support is being dropped by the Fedora Project. While it absolutely is the correct decision, there will undoubtedly be whining from some vocal crybabies in the Linux community. After all, for some Linux users, the act of complaining seems to be a popular pastime.

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