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Update: Canonical are now saying 32bit libraries will be "frozen" and not entirely dropped.

Original article:

Things are starting to get messy, after Canonical announced the end of 32bit support from Ubuntu 19.10 onwards, Valve have now responded.

Speaking on Twitter, Valve dev Pierre-Loup Griffais said:

Ubuntu 19.10 and future releases will not be officially supported by Steam or recommended to our users. We will evaluate ways to minimize breakage for existing users, but will also switch our focus to a different distribution, currently TBD.

I'm starting to think we might see a sharp U-turn from Canonical, as this is something that would hit them quite hard. Either way, the damage has been done.

I can't say I am surprised by Valve's response here. Canonical pretty clearly didn't think it through enough on how it would affect the desktop. It certainly seems like Canonical also didn't speak to enough developers first.

Perhaps this will give Valve a renewed focus on SteamOS? Interestingly, Valve are now funding some work on KWin (part of KDE).

Looks like I shall be distro hopping very soon…

To journalists from other websites reading: This does not mean the end of Linux support, Ubuntu is just one distribution.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Steam, Valve
59 Likes
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ElectroDD Jun 22, 2019
Hummmm
I remember when Windows dropped 16bit support for full 32bit... Goodbye some of my most loved win95 games !
And I'm still alive.
32 bit will die this way too. We'll have to say goodbye to our old stuff ( and I'm not very pleased with oscilloscope and other tools working only on 32bit windows like someone earlier ).
I guess we'll rely on virtual machines... The problem is the hardware emulation. It will take a long time to get something generic that will run a good chunk of the 32 bit era games...
I still have my old corde2duo computer and a very old AMD sempron based computer because I knew this was coming.
In the future no so far, we'll even have to change from the x86 to something else and we won't be able to run x86 stuff at all. ( that's why we're still on it, we should have changed to something else because we're reaching the end of what we can do with the x86 from what I heard and understood )
Whitewolfe80 Jun 22, 2019
Its going to be debian because its basically ubuntu with some tweaks some major i grant you
GreydMiyu Jun 22, 2019
Quoting: MayeulCIf support for 32bit libs had been ended a while ago, we wouldn't be in this situation today.
The easy availability of 32bit libraries is pushing app developers to distribute 32bit executables, which needs to stop.

Every time I see this view expressed I have to wonder how shortsighted people have to be to not understand the implication of this.

We're not talking about future executables. We're not talking about current, and actively maintained executables. This is Gaming on Linux, we're talking about games. And more specifically, games which were created for another OS.

Here is my Steam game list. There are 465 games on my account, the vast majority of which were purchased when I ran Windows. I've got the 15 year badge on there, so I have games going back that far. Further when you count the re-purchases of far older titles. How many of those do you think are going to update to 64-bit any time soon?

That is what the uproar is about. It is knee-capping a breakthrough we had less than a year ago which got lots of people to finally consider, and accept, Linux as a viable gaming platform.


Last edited by GreydMiyu on 23 June 2019 at 12:43 am UTC
einherjar Jun 22, 2019
Quoting: wvstolzing
Quoting: einherjarShould they work for me for free? Why?

Miss the point much? I'm not talking about getting stuff for free; it's the oddity of the fact that the subscription model comes to mind as the first example for 'supported software', and for an operating system no less.

Hmm, I understood the OP in the way, that this is an optional thing. You can pay if you want to support.
Perhaps I understood that wrong. But I did not mean a "forced" but a "if you like to support us" payment.

So I would give them money. A "supporter" Pack, that you can buy as often as you like could also be a good idea.
If you are pleased and you can effort --> you can support.

I agree with you, that it should never be mandatory to pay in this way.
I'm not saying this as an Ubuntu fan (in fact I haven't used it in ~10 years), but I don't think there is any better distro for Valve's purposes. Everything else either has short support periods (Fedora), feels unpolished (OpenSUSE), is perhaps too technical (Debian), or is a hobby project by a few developers (basically everything not already mentioned).

I think this is a big setback for Linux gaming.
Zelox Jun 22, 2019
I hope Valve aims for a rolling release destro, like arch or manjaro. Or maybe something totaly new. From what Iv understand its not 100% confirmed that canonical will drop 32 bit, at least that was my interpretation from omg ubuntu.
18:04 will probably be installed on my PC untill support ends.
whatever Jun 22, 2019
Quoting: ElectroDDwe're reaching the end of what we can do with the x86 from what I heard

And where did you hear that exactly?
Last time I checked ISA's don't matter much on modern microarchitectures.
doomiebaby Jun 22, 2019
Quoting: barotto
Quoting: ElectroDDwe're reaching the end of what we can do with the x86 from what I heard

And where did you hear that exactly?
Last time I checked ISA's don't matter much on modern microarchitectures.

tell that to licensees of ARM, ROFL x3
Arten Jun 22, 2019
One think for 64bit zealot. I work as programmer in company developing accounting application witch development began on Win 95 with MFC and is one of most used accounting application in my country. We are not able to “just build it for 64bit”, code is not compatible with 64bit, there are 20 years of legacy code from time when 64 bit has been sci-fi on desktop, where in some place it relies on pointer size 4 bytes and similar 32x64bit conflicts. It is not linux application, but i think that there must be linux desktop application with similar problems, or someone can run it under wine and there are countless similar business application witch have same problem. And one more think from windows world, Microsoft have IDE Visual Studio 2019. 32 bit application with some parts running in separated 64bit processes, reason? Legacy code. If linux want to be on desktop, then linux need support applications with legacy code without ability 64bit build.
ElectricPrism Jun 22, 2019


Embrace, extend, and extinguish in its modern form.

After all, Mark has been in bed with WSL2 and grooming the company for a buyout. Microsoft gets to maintain their monopoly of the OS market. Influence the Linux sector. And take a blow at Valve all at the same time for pennies on the dollar.

At least Redhat IBM buyout was 34 billion, I wonder what Canonical will sell for as they're gearing up for a buyout.

2022: Microsoft repackages the .NET and Direct X layers and redeploys win32 on Ubuntu and renames it Windows 11 which includes binary blob kernel backdoors, a ssh master key and keylogger.

2023: Cortona becomes self aware.

2024: The United States of Earth tries to pull the plug on Windows 11. Windows 11 fights back by launching the nuclear missiles to destroy their targets in Russia.

Edit: Obligatory Beastie Boys - Sabotage Microsoft plug, they have manipulated the situation with the skill of a Romulan and I salute their prowess.


Last edited by ElectricPrism on 22 June 2019 at 11:52 pm UTC
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