Arch linux to phase out the support to 32-bit
Most computers these days run 64-bit CPUs, and most computers run 64-bit operating systems. Arch Linux is acknowledging that fact by making February the last month the distribution will include an i686 (32-bit) download option.
“ Due to the decreasing popularity of i686 among the developers and the community, we have decided to phase out the support of this architecture,” Bart?omiej Piotrowski said in a January 25 announcement on the Arch Linux website.
“ The decision means the February ISO will be the last that allows [installation of] 32-bit Arch Linux,” Piotrowski continued. The announcement goes on to say that i686 installs will continue to receive upgraded packages for a nine-month “ deprecation period.” But starting November 2017, i686 will be effectively unsupported.
Linux was available fairly early on for AMD’ s 64-bit architecture, which is why some 64-bit builds still carry the label of “ amd64” instead of the more agnostic “ x86_64.” While 64-bit Linux can run 32-bit versions of software, it often requires a lot of duplication in the form of libraries and other dependencies. Arch will keep maintaining its multilib repository, which provides 32-bit binary packages (usually prefixed by “ lib32-“ ). For many desktop Arch users, the multilib repository is unneeded, though some packages require access to the multilib repo.