Gentoo Does An x32 Stage 3 Release Candidate

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Gentoo Does An x32 Stage 3 Release Candidate

Gentoo is one of the first Linux distributions to release a packaged installation for the Linux x32 architecture...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTExNTE

[FireBurn]

This is one of the big advantages of Gentoo

[Chewi]

I'm not sure if I'll use x32 but kudos to Mike for keeping Gentoo rocking and being awesome in general.

[efikkan]

Please stop using the terms 'x32' and 'x64', the correct terms are x86-32 and x86-64. I'm not sure if we can blame Microsoft for starting this nonsense, but please keep at least the Linux world free from this stupid terminology.

[Chewi]

Please stop using the terms 'x32' and 'x64', the correct terms are x86-32 and x86-64. I'm not sure if we can blame Microsoft for starting this nonsense, but please keep at least the Linux world free from this stupid terminology.

Actually I think x32 is the correct term in this case. x86-32 and x86-64 refer to the traditional ABIs? x32 is something new and is not to be confused with the same term thrown about in the Windows world. I don't think Windows has an equivalent to this.

[Luke_Wolf]

Actually I think x32 is the correct term in this case. x86-32 and x86-64 refer to the traditional ABIs? x32 is something new and is not to be confused with the same term thrown about in the Windows world. I don't think Windows has an equivalent to this.

I would say that x32 is probably correct, although x86_32 given current schemes could be right too, however you're wrong about the x86 naming scheme.

x86 actually is in reference to the 8086 and then it's successors the 80186, 80286,80386,80486 (all these usually shorthanded to remove the 80, so 186,286,386,&486), the 80586 which was then known as the Pentium because intel couldn't trademark a number, and then the 80686 ABI came in with the pentium pro and then the 80786 coming out with the penitum 4, and then AMD came up with a way to do 64 bit registers and other fun stuff with x86, while Intel was off playing with itanium and so AMD64 came out, which some people call x86_64 in order to be brand neutral.

[RealNC]

Please stop using the terms 'x32' and 'x64', the correct terms are x86-32 and x86-64. I'm not sure if we can blame Microsoft for starting this nonsense, but please keep at least the Linux world free from this stupid terminology.

It's x32. You didn't even bother reading the article. x86-32 is a totally different thing. There are three models now: x86, x86-64 and x32.

[ssam]

It's x32. You didn't even bother reading the article. x86-32 is a totally different thing. There are three models now: x86, x86-64 and x32.

dont forget ia64 (Itanium) :-)

I wonder how specialist x32 will be. I'd expect an increasing number of people are running individual programs that can benefit from more than 4GB or ram. of the remainder how many will go for special options to get performance improvements. personally, scientific codes i run can use lots of RAM, so 4GB would be limiting.

will it be possible to run preexisting x86-32 code on an x32 distro? or will these machines be in a similar position to x86-64 a few years ago.

[RealNC]

dont forget ia64 (Itanium) :-)

That's a different architecture. x32 is for x86-64 CPUs.

will it be possible to run preexisting x86-32 code on an x32 distro?

If it's multilib, yes. Just like now with x86-64 distros who also provide 32-bit libraries. Gentoo is not multilib, btw. It can only build x32 packages. (Just like Gentoo AMD64 can't build 32-bit packages.) A true multilib distro might not have those limitations.

[hax0r]

x32? What the heck is that. x16!