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.
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The comments on this article are closed.
Quoting: MohandevirQuoting: RedfaceQuoting: TuxeeQuoting: BeamboomI'll not be surprised if Canonical backs out of this decision again, seeing the reception.
Already happened:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2019/06/is-ubuntu-not-dropping-32-bit-app-support-after-all
QuoteI’m sorry that we’ve given anyone the impression that we are ‘dropping support for i386 applications‘. It is simply not the case. What we are dropping is updates to the i386 libraries, which will be frozen at the 18.04 LTS versions.
Quoting: TuxeeThat is not backing out, it is a clarification of their plans. They never said that 32 bit programs would not be able tun run any more. A lot of us are worried that the new ways will be Inferior to what we have today, especially in regard to how complicated it will be for users. And I still are.Quoting: BeamboomI'll not be surprised if Canonical backs out of this decision again, seeing the reception.
Already happened:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2019/06/is-ubuntu-not-dropping-32-bit-app-support-after-all
QuoteI’m sorry that we’ve given anyone the impression that we are ‘dropping support for i386 applications‘. It is simply not the case. What we are dropping is updates to the i386 libraries, which will be frozen at the 18.04 LTS versions.
A lot of online publication and posters claimed that it would be impossible, but this is Linux not Mac or Windows so there will always be ways for users to do what they want differently than their distribution providers. Do not believe everything you read.
But distributions are about convenience, after all we could all do a Linux from scratch installation and not use any distribution after all. So if they make it a lot harder for users we should go elsewhere.
Still, it means that Canonical won't maintain it anymore... If they don't someone will have to. It will then become external to Ubuntu and will have to be added like an optional ppa (my understanding). Just another hurdle to new Linux users that want a plug&play experience.
Am I wrong?
They will maintain 18.04 for 3 more years, so also if one gets it from a LXD container, snap or flatpak. But after that not any more unless they put the needed 32 bit libraries in the AMD64 repositories like they already do for 32bit glibc and plan for the proprietary nvidia drivers. But who knows if they will do that.
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ElectricPrism Jun 23, 2019
I had read somewhere they MESA 18.x being the last 32-bit version will make it impossible to use GPUs bought after 2019.
Also if I get to take a stab at a new Steam named OS I might suggest a Linux named *whistles* GLaDOS
Also if I get to take a stab at a new Steam named OS I might suggest a Linux named *whistles* GLaDOS
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Quoting: puppieshatecapitalismEverything 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).That is why Valve long ago should have thought about developing its own distribution. And do not wait until someone sticks a knife in their backs.
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Quoting: ElectricPrismAlso if I get to take a stab at a new Steam named OS I might suggest a Linux named *whistles* GLaDOS
Great!
But wait... GLaDOS is basically an evil piece of software that tries to manipulate and kill you. :D
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Quoting: einherjarThanks Canonical :><:No doubt we will. But they will be fools to do so. Look, Microsoft and Apple make stupid decisions all the time. When they do, just exactly what can you do about it? Can you switch to a different Windows or Mac OS distro?
Now we will have lots of game devs and publishers saying:
"See, there is no reliable Distro in the Linux world. It doesn't make sense to ship software for Linux"
This is a time to celebrate the fact that Linux distros are not monopolies.
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Brainstorming session at Canonical Offices: The Cloud, IoT, Kubernets, AI. Other ideas? Yes: The Cloud, IoT, Kubernets, AI. The Cloud, IoT, Kubernets, AI. The Cloud, IoT, Kubernets, AI. The Cloud, IoT, Kubernets, AI...........
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Quoting: TheSHEEEPI simply look beyond a few personal inconveniences at the bigger picture.Because . . . the libraries take up a few megs on your terabyte+ hard drive? Yeah, surely it's worth getting rid of some functionality to get that!!!
And the bigger picture is that progress requires sacrifice. Can't play some games/use some apps anymore? So be it, if that's the price to pay to finally get rid of old stuff like 32bit for good.
But you know, all you have to do is delete the relevant libs. Nobody's stopping you.
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Quoting: SchattenspiegelQuoting: TheSyldatPop!_OS is the best solution really . Hell they are already better than Ubuntu on some various things .Not sure -they probably are, but they are also a bit small, based on Ubuntu and unfortunately ship only the gnome desktop - so maybe something more...diverse ;-) concerning DEs and a little more upstream. I would love to see Mint but they have a similar situation. openSUSE may actually not be a bad idea.
at least they have an source of income
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Quoting: BeamboomAnd like I said in that other discussion: One can't expect an old binary to run on new computers for all eternity.Why not?
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Quoting: EzyRhinoI'm beginning to think that the decision Canonical made is exactly what they want. This is all speculation on my part, but I think they want to focus 100% on the enterprise (AWS, Azure, etc...) and get out of the end-user desktop market. Sad if true.Could be. I've noticed a tendency with distros produced by companies: They enter the scene by creating a lot of buzz as the saviors of the Linux desktop. They leverage this into a more or less prosperous business selling their distro for servers and other back-end work. They gradually ease away from the desktop, which they have found impossible to make money from; it seems to be merely overhead. Once they are no longer seen as major desktop players, their share of back-end stuff gradually erodes because there is no buzz about them. Then some new company comes along, creating a lot of buzz as the saviors of the Linux desktop . . .
The next one could be either Valve or someone partnering with Valve, the big difference being that Valve seem pretty convinced a robust Linux end-user desktop is one way or another going to make them money.
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