Re: Concerns about AMD64 port
On Thu, Feb 05, 2004 at 06:38:07PM +0100, Goswin von Brederlow wrote:
> > It's not wasted because it would get used a fair bit before the mixed
> > system is available. True, once the mixed system is complete it
> > wouldn't be needed anymore, but that doesn't make the time spent on it
> > wasted just because it'll be depreceated some time in the future.
> > That's a bit like saying that building a car now is work wasted because
> > in 2 years a new model will be out.
>
> You can use the existing i386 or multiarch setup just fine right
> now. You are proposing to design a unicycle on the way from the
> bicylce to a tricycle.
What multiarch setup? We have none.
Or do you call a 64-bit chroot multiarch?
> Its also a hell of a lot easier to bootstrap the 64 bit packages with
> the existing 32 bit packages supplying build-depends. A lot of
> Depends/Build-Depends cycles can be broken that way.
I will make this pledge here: If we are willing to get a 64-bit port
going now, I am personally willing to solve any such build-dep cycle
that arises.
I can make that pledge knowing that this is neither a hard nor an
intractable problem. Having just solved several of those on netbsd-i386
last week.
> you don't want multiarch on amd64 you are welcome to start a 64bit
> only repository. Once you get base+build-essential setup I can run a
> buildd for it within a days notice. But you would realy duplicate a
> lot of work that multiarch people are already working on.
Can we get this repository on ftp.debian.org as a real port?
Anyway, doesn't the chroot on alioth already have this?
> > It's only a problem of putting it in the 'right' place if you want the
> > 'right' place to be /lib64 or /usr/lib64 instead of just building a
> > pure-64bit port.
>
> Thats whats needed for compatibility with existing guidelines and
> distributions.
And that is fairly trivial attainable for a pure-64bit port as well.
> Which isn't realy crippled. Apart from speed, which is hardly a
> pressing factor normaly, the only advantage of amd64 is the bigger
> address space.
Speak for yourself; the speed is a pressing factor for me. Otherwise,
why would i have just not bought a Xeon?
> For anyone willing to run unstable Debian has a multiarch port on
> alioth *today*. Whats needed for it to mature (and to catch up to
> sarge) is people willing and able to invest time into fixing
> libc6. Thats the most pressing issue I'm aware of.
Can you summarize, or post a link to an existing summary, of exactly
what is wrong there?
-- John
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