Well, since Ubuntu promoted the 32 bit version as the preferred one even on 64 bit hardware until now it's to be expected that a lot of Ubuntu users will continue using the 32 bit version for the next several releases. For the rest of the distros, indeed, 32 bit is a rarity. So maybe a better title for this article would have been "Whoops, There's A Big Problem For Ubuntu"![]()
My hope is that nVidia has a private branch where they hack on porting their drivers to all of the Linux techs it doesn't support, including Wayland, KMS, Gallium, et al and that this major reworking will also bring Optimus support &c. As this branch would currently be experimental, nVidia refuses to acknowledge any plans to support these officially since doing so may be considered binding.
Also, hasn't there been a job opening for a Linux driver engineer on nvnews.net for like three or four years? Someone qualified should apply and fill that, maybe you can help get the support we need.
That's the problem, it can't be done. cairo-gl cannot be packaged in a way that is usable for people using open source video drivers, without breaking X for everybody using the Nvidia proprietary drivers. At least using Debian packages, I don't know about others.
So, to avoid breaking X for the people using Nvidia proprietary drivers, Ubuntu, for example, has disabled cairo-gl for everyone. After putting what looks like a lot of work into trying to find a better solution, and failing. And this is one of the things preventing GTK+ applications from being usable with wayland in Ubuntu 12.04 Precise (the other is a clipboard problem with multiple simultaneously enabled backends).
I explained this in the post the article is based on. One of the possible solutions is adding flexibility to the way Debian packaging works. A Debian bug that's been open for 15 years.
some updated info regarding the nVidia stuff: http://lists.freedesktop.org/archive...ch/002798.html