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jessie for x32



Hi folks!
Here's some news about the x32 port.  I'm trying a different approach:
instead of using only packages uploaded by their {,non-}maintainers, as on
ftp.debian-ports.org which tracks unstable, I'm using a separate repository
on ftp.debian-x32.org that includes packages with porting patches applied. 
That is, 54 sourceful uploads that unblock further 1427 source packages.

The cool stuff includes fully-working debian-installer, and more.

I hereby invite you to http://debian-x32.org to take a look.  Unlike most
ports, you do own a machine that can run this natively...

As for a server, pretty much everything is in place (lacking nodejs and the
haskell world).  Too bad, desktoppy things are in a worse shape: while XFCE,
Mate, LXDE, most of KDE and so on do work, blocker problems include:
* no Iceweasel (nor Chromium): xptcall needs porting
* sound problems (kernel-side ioctls): needs -m64/:amd64 pulseaudio or jack
* no libreoffice: java toolchain has JNI issues
The above three make an x32 desktop currently not really usable.

But, if these problems can be fixed, I contemplate making an unofficial
jessie-x32 release, with security support (via rebuilds of s.d.o).

So guys, please install, test, enjoy, report problems.

And, it would be great if someone could help me with porting iceweasel.  I
kind of ran out of clue there: after a number of solved issues (patches in
#775321), the xptcall reflection piece requires better knowledge of assembly
than I possess.  The part that needs porting is a few pages of asm, and is
well-documented (subdir: xpcom/reflect/xptcall).

I don't have any real clue about JNI as well.  On the other hand, ghc looks
like something that needs just more tuits and reading about bootstrapping it
(no per-arch porting required).  Nodejs depends on libv8 which needs full
code generation for every arch, thus no luck.  Most other stuff... needs
tuits.  I'll try to port what I can, a mail can bring a package that's
interesting to you to the front of the queue.

And where the missing stuff is secondary to the purpose of a machine,
there's multiarch...


Meow!
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