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Ubuntu is dropping 32-bit support, so Valve is dropping official support for Ubuntu

Will this have an impact on your choice of Distro in the future (existing Linux users)?

  • No, I don't use Ubuntu anyway

    Votes: 21 65.6%
  • No, I use Ubuntu but I don't use Steam

    Votes: 4 12.5%
  • Yes, I use Steam on Ubuntu and I will now need to look elsewhere

    Votes: 7 21.9%

  • Total voters
    32
  • Poll closed .
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So I guess people like running less then 4 GB of RAM? :rockout:

Also note. I don't buy games anymore from Steam.
 
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Aquinus

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This sort of bums me out. I really hope Ubuntu isn't going to shove this down our throat or I might have to stick with 18.04 LTS until it's out of support then look elsewhere. I really do like using Ubuntu as a distro and I can understand why they're doing this. So I'm more upset with Steam not getting their ducks in a row and deciding to just drop support over this.
So I guess people like running less then 4 GB of RAM? :rockout:
People like using software that's 32-bit, like games, within a 64-bit installation of Linux. Steam itself is 32-bit iirc. So instead of all of this whining, I would expect valve to make Steam a 64-bit application instead of literally saying "Sorry, we can't make our platform 64-bit so, chio!"
 
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People like using software that's 32-bit, like games, within a 64-bit installation of Linux. Steam itself is 32-bit iirc. So instead of all of this whining, I would expect valve to make Steam a 64-bit application instead of literally saying "Sorry, we can't make our platform 64-bit so, chio!"
You totally missed the point. Valve can port Steam to 64-bit without any issues. But Ubuntu will drop the entire 32-bit library support which means all of the 32-bit games will stop working. That's probably 95% of the entire Steam library. And there's nothing Valve can do, as they are only selling and not making them. (apart from a handful of titles here and there)
 

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Forget about x86, half of all ARM boards out there are still 32-bit only, including the RPI, as they've got a weird hybrid kind of CPU thing going.
That might not matter for Valve, but it would suck for those using Ubuntu on those platforms.
 
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You totally missed the point. Valve can port Steam to 64-bit without any issues. But Ubuntu will drop the entire 32-bit library support which means all of the 32-bit games will stop working. That's probably 95% of the entire Steam library. And there's nothing Valve can do, as they are only selling and not making them. (apart from a handful of titles here and there)
Isn't the steam common runtime supposed to solve that particular problem by shipping with the 32-bit binary that most people don't even have installed on a 64-bit install on Linux?
WINE is the biggest pain in the ass to configure with their own apt sources specifically because it's 32-bit then dependencies conflict and nothing works right. It is undoubtedly one of the worst parts of WINE.
 
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This sort of bums me out. I really hope Ubuntu isn't going to shove this down our throat or I might have to stick with 18.04 LTS until it's out of support then look elsewhere. I really do like using Ubuntu as a distro and I can understand why they're doing this. So I'm more upset with Steam not getting their ducks in a row and deciding to just drop support over this.

People like using software that's 32-bit, like games, within a 64-bit installation of Linux. Steam itself is 32-bit iirc. So instead of all of this whining, I would expect valve to make Steam a 64-bit application instead of literally saying "Sorry, we can't make our platform 64-bit so, chio!"
That would be assuming Steam had any desire to adapt and progress in a changing software and game environment. Steam has become stagnant in nearly every way.
 
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Hmm, not sure why change? On x86 just run a VM with whatever you need to run whatever you want.

Is it that people still don't grasp the concept of running VMs with different operating systems?

Worst case, just go with another Linux distro then, choice is one of the beauties of Linux.
 
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For those gamers whom Ubuntu is the favorite distro, they will switch to debian + desktop environment of their choice and will feel at home again.

Sure they won't get the most recent softwares, but if Steam is a "must have, no matter what" for them, then this is the most logical move.
 
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Good, more people on Manjaro/Arch.
 
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I posted awhile back about ClearLinux. It's progressing nicely. If you have an Intel chip, check it out.

 
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For those gamers whom Ubuntu is the favorite distro, they will switch to debian + desktop environment of their choice and will feel at home again.

Sure they won't get the most recent softwares, but if Steam is a "must have, no matter what" for them, then this is the most logical move.
That was my thought as well.

I’m sure this is a dumb question, but could Valve add 32bit support back in somehow?
 
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I posted awhile back about ClearLinux. It's progressing nicely. If you have an Intel chip, check it out.

It even works as good with Ryzen.
That was my thought as well.

I’m sure this is a dumb question, but could Valve add 32bit support back in somehow?
A flatpak package could solve it.

ARM32 is not compromised, only i386.
 

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I’m sure this is a dumb question, but could Valve add 32bit support back in somehow?
I'm still confused as to why it's an issue since Steam ships with a lot of the required 32-bit libraries within the steam common runtime.
 
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I'm still confused as to why it's an issue since Steam ships with a lot of the required 32-bit libraries within the steam common runtime.
That's what I thought. Linux doesn't load a lot of stuff unless you need it, but I wasn't sure if 32bit libraries was a bit more complex than everyday packages.
 
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I'm still confused as to why it's an issue since Steam ships with a lot of the required 32-bit libraries within the steam common runtime.
Kernel compiler problem maybe? Still, this is a bonehead move on Canonical's part. Now if they were going to move forward with a 64bit base while maintaining 32bit compatibility that would be different.
 

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Kernel compiler problem maybe? Still, this is a bonehead move on Canonical's part. Now if they were going to move forward with a 64bit base while maintaining 32bit compatibility that would be different.
Absolutely nothing is changing with the kernel. All Ubuntu said is that they're pulling 32-bit support which they clarified does not mean that there are no 32-bit libraries. It's that 32-bit libraries are no longer going to receive updates. ...but you know, lets cherry pick the news. :laugh:

Steve "vorlon" Langasek said:
I’m sorry that we’ve given anyone the impression that we are “dropping support for i386 applications”. That’s simply not the case. What we are dropping is updates to the i386 libraries, which will be frozen at the 18.04 LTS versions. But there is every intention to ensure that there is a clear story for how i386 applications (including games) can be run on versions of Ubuntu later than 19.10.
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Ubuntu-Steve-32-Bit-Comments
 
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It's that 32-bit libraries are no longer going to receive updates. ...but you know, lets cherry pick the news. :laugh:
That's not true. Ubuntu stated in the article in the OP;
we took the proactive step to disable upgrades from 18.04 to 18.10 for i386 systems[2], to avoid accidentally stranding users on an interim release with 9 months of support instead of letting them continue to run Ubuntu 18.04 LTS with its 5 years of standard support.
This directly implies that the LTS 32bit versions will continue getting updates and patches until support ends for them. They stated in a following paragraph;
While this means we will not provide 32-bit builds of new upstream versions of libraries, there are a number of ways that 32-bit applications can continue to be made available to users of later Ubuntu releases
But we don't know the details of what is involved to make that happen, nor do we know what kernel-level changes are being made. It's possible that making Steam work in such a way might be a huge hassle.
 

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That's not true. Ubuntu stated in the article in the OP;
This directly implies that the LTS 32bit versions will continue getting updates and patches until support ends for them.
LTS packages tend to get security and backported bug patches, not version updates. By using LTS sources, you're basically ensuring that version won't change since very few packages with LTS sources will update to newer versions. That's part of the guarantee you get with an LTS version being stable and well tested. It's not going to be stable if versions are changing all the time in which case, go use Arch or something that's a rolling release.
 
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An update has been issued by Canonical - they are reverting their decision to drop 32-bit binaries entirely, and are now developing a community driven process to determine which 32-bit packages are required for popular legacy software to run properly.

Thankfully they have been listening to the huge outcries from, as they put it "WINE, Ubuntu Studio and gaming communities". Hopefully by deprecating support for the wider 32-bit package library we don't end up with too many wrinkles running Steam games in future releases of Ubuntu.

Statement from the Canonical blog:

Other reports:
 
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An update has been issued by Canonical - they are reverting their decision to drop 32-bit binaries entirely, and are now developing a community driven process to determine which 32-bit packages are required for popular legacy software to run properly.

Thankfully they have been listening to the huge outcries from, as they put it "WINE, Ubuntu Studio and gaming communities". Hopefully by deprecating support for the wider 32-bit package library we don't end up with too many wrinkles running Steam games in future releases of Ubuntu.

Statement from the Canonical blog:

Other reports:
And this rarely happens with companies like Microsoft. Well done Canonical! Now we just need Valve to chime in and offer their input.
 
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