Re: Adding x32 support to kernel package
On Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 09:08:54AM -0700, Daniel Schepler wrote:
> OK, I eventually figured out that I also need to add x32 to the architecture
> list in debian/config/defines. Then I also changed the x32 compiler to gcc-4.7
> by following the example of alpha using gcc-4.5. But then checking
> debian/control, it turned out that the -amd64 header packages were depending
> on both gcc-4.6 and gcc-4.7 on both amd64 and x32. So I just skipped building
> actual kernel packages for now and invoked binary-libc-dev_x32 manually.
>
> I was thinking that x32 would just duplicate the linux-image-*-amd64 packages,
> similar to the way i386 currently generates amd64 kernel packages.
[...]
No, that's a pre-multiarch legacy. It will be gone in wheezy+1 (if
not sooner). Any x32 installation should be multiarch amd64 + x32
(optionally + i386).
> As for the
> installer, I guess it would be up to them whether they want to build an x32
> installer, or just add an option to the amd64 installer to install an x32
> system. (Or maybe even make the amd64 installer based on x32, since I can't
> imagine the installer ever needing more than 4G address space in a single
> process.)
>
> I'm curious why you think Debian wouldn't want to support x32.
[...]
Because it takes more archive space, more auto-builder resources, and
offers minimal performance benefits over i386 for most programs.
However, I hope that Debian can start to support 'partial
architectures' where we deliberately only build some packages. Then
we could build selected packages for x32 where the performance
benefit is found to be worthwhile.
Ben.
--
Ben Hutchings
We get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking.
- Albert Camus
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