[SOLVED] Use 32-bit Slackware? Post here to let the developers know!
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Location: Northeastern Michigan, where Carhartt is a Designer Label
Distribution: Slackware 32- & 64-bit Stable
Posts: 3,541
Rep:
Hmm.
Let's see: Dell Optiplex 780 (64-bit) desktop, Dell Inspiron 1750 (64-bit) laptop. Two Dell Dimension 8400's (32-bit) running headless, one MySQL/MariaDB server, the other PostgreSQL server. All running Slackware 14.1 stable (which is why I subscribe to the dual sided DVD).
The Dimension's are now 10+ years old, work just fine, are backed up to the Optiplex. When one dies it'll get replaced by a 64-bitter (nothing fancy, they're servers, headless on the LAN).
But, for now, when the next release comes, it'll get installed on everything and we'll keep on truckin'.
I have two left, one I just did a build for xbmc, should be fine for 64 bit. The other is my media server, it only has 2G of ram and when i tried to run 64 bit on it it would do nothing but swap. So once i replace that hardware I'll be good. That probably won't be until next year though.
I try to have short and long term plans, very similar to a corp environment. So making sure I can run 64bit and arm are long term.
I am mostly constrained to using what I can intercept on the way to the landfill and only received my first 64 bit hardware within the past few years (guessing about 2010).
Today, in the room with me are eight 64 bit machines and six 32 bit. Not included in that are two 64 bit Dell laptops and two 64 bit towers that I have received recently but not yet put to use beyond testing and initial install of Slackware 14.1 (32 bit).
Out of the above mix most are running 32 bit Slackware 14.1, but four are running Slackware64-14.1 and one is FreeBSD 64 bit. Most of my new "production" installs will now be 64 bit Slackware or FreeBSD.
I also now run multiple VPS's with Slackware64-14.1, so guess I should count those too!
So my own balance has definitely shifted heavily to 64 bit. I still run 32 bit, but I see a definite trend developing!
All that said, my personal workhorse and perfect laptop is still a 32 bit Toshiba ca. 2005. It ran Slackware 12.1+ until a year or two ago. When faced with replacing it I decided to instead install new 1-TB drive, max out the RAM and fix a few flaky keyboard keys... now running Slackware-14.1 until the wheels fall off!
Last edited by astrogeek; 04-21-2015 at 02:50 PM.
Reason: tpos, typs, typos...
With upcoming UEFI Class 3, Compatibility Support Module will be dead as the Dodo and no BIOS interface will be present. I can't see a way that Slackware x86 32 bit will be supported in future hardware.
I can't see why anyone would want to on "future hardware".
32bit userspace on 64bit kernel will still remain a possibility if people insist on clinging to 32bittedness, but then, why not just use multilib if you need to run 32bit stuff.
I can't see why anyone would want to on "future hardware".
32bit userspace on 64bit kernel will still remain a possibility if people insist on clinging to 32bittedness, but then, why not just use multilib if you need to run 32bit stuff.
The problem with that is, that my multilib packages depend on the availability of a 32bit version of Slackware. I only compile gcc and glibc myself, the rest is trivial re-packaging of Slackware's 32bit packages.
I expect that a 32bit chroot or container on a Slackware 64bit host will keep working on any 'future' hardware.
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