Future of 32bit support zorinos Lite?

Hi

I currently run Lubuntu 18.04 on an old 32 bit laptop. I just learned that Ubuntu is dropping 32 bit support from 20.04 onward, the same happens with Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Mate, Mint etc. That means once 18.04 support is over, I won't be able to migrate to 20.04.

Since ZorinOS is Ubuntu based (currently 18.04 as far as I understood) what are the future plans for supporting 32 bit computers in it's lite version, once it updates to 20.04?

I would like to migrate to some OS that commits to provide long term support for 32 bit computers ... Is that the case for Zorin?

elcaballero wrote:Hi

I currently run Lubuntu 18.04 on an old 32 bit laptop. I just learned that Ubuntu is dropping 32 bit support from 20.04 onward, the same happens with Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Mate, Mint etc. That means once 18.04 support is over, I won't be able to migrate to 20.04.

Since ZorinOS is Ubuntu based (currently 18.04 as far as I understood) what are the future plans for supporting 32 bit computers in it's lite version, once it updates to 20.04?

I would like to migrate to some OS that commits to provide long term support for 32 bit computers ... Is that the case for Zorin?

I do not know the answer to this question. I can recommend looking into Debian based systems like MXLinux for LTS on 32bit.

But I can offer a word of opinion, as this is a topic that often gets raised.

While I deal with computers, mostly the Zorin O.S., on this forum, I deal with automotive in life. I am a mechanic, I restore classic cars and I also restore tools which I buy, trade and sell.
I have been dealing with the "old" for many years. I promote the "old" for its craftsmanship, strength and quality. And for those of us that preserve history and carry it forward from the generation before is, to the generation that follows us, that is a fine thing. I, for one, am glad that people like me and the people that I work with exist to do this.
That being said...
If there is one thing I have learned in this business, it is that there comes a time when it is Time to Let Go. From old tooling made in SAE and Whitworth to the times changing over to Metric... To computers proceeding forward from Unix to DOS to Linux... To pants, T.V. shows, food preferences and everything else that we outgrow.

Progress marches on. It does not care about the old. It wants the new and it is a flood that cannot be deterred.
I can restore a '53 Chevy Panel truck and make it beautiful. People can 'ooh' and 'ahh' over it and love that truck and admire it and ask to ride in it but at the end of the day, no matter how much Chrome plating is on it or how good the paint job is...
-Most people will not be able to deal with it not being engineered for UnLeaded Gas.
-Most people will not be able to deal with it as a daily driver, trying to find (Or have custom made) parts that wear out.
-Most people will not be able to deal with its fuel inefficiency.
It will never replace a Modern Work truck that uses far less fuel, pollutes a lot less, can haul much more weight with greater capacity or provides a smoother ride due to engineered changes in suspension.
I do not know the answer to your question, but as a guess - Probably not. We simply cannot keep asking developers to Hold Back, Hold Back and Hold back some more. They are gunning to move forward and us very few people that run the old must Keep up or get out of the way. Older machines will continue to require more and more developed systems just to enable them to communicate with a vastly changing infrastructure. That is a lot to ask of developers.

You can probably find some distros, as I mentioned at the outset that will continue some LTS for 32 bit for a while. CentOS is another and there are a few more. Let me see if I can find a list...
Ok, found this one, though the article is old: https://itsfoss.com/32-bit-os-list/
But you will only be putting a Band-aid on it, stalling a little bit longer. Putting it off a bit more.

Thanks, very interesting article. Apparently even Debian stretch dropped 32 bit support and the most promising keeping support would be slackware derivatives.

Yeah I know it's putting a Band-aid. My idea is to keep it running for my small children until the laptop dies, or the children kill it ... or eventually I get a replacement for my current working laptop and they can inherit the now current. I definitely don't want the kids to mess with my "good" computer, specially when the old one is still fine. I read that ubuntu 18.08 has support until 2023 ... Maybe that's just enough for some of the events I mentioned to happen.

Otherwise I wonder how Debian, or slackware would be for children. I tried Centos a while ago and I couldn't even watch YouTube (or something alike, can't remember) ... It's fine for a server ( I use it at work) but unusable at home.

I just discovered a couple of distros for kids that also support 32 bit, for example skolelinux (debian based) or sugar (available for suse, fedora, trisquel, ubuntu ... )

elcaballero wrote:Otherwise I wonder how Debian, or slackware would be for children. I tried Centos a while ago and I couldn't even watch YouTube (or something alike, can't remember) ... It's fine for a server ( I use it at work) but unusable at home.

I have heard the same about CentOS, though I have never tried it.
I am still using Zorin 12.4 lite 32bit on my Shop Toughbook and plan to continue using it for a long time. Lack of LTS Support does not render the OS inoperable.

elcaballero wrote:I just discovered a couple of distros for kids that also support 32 bit, for example skolelinux (debian based) or sugar (available for suse, fedora, trisquel, ubuntu ... )

Ah, but is too much Sugar good for kids?
Sugar seems to be a Desktop Environment, more than an Operating System... or have I got that wrong?
I think a P.M. to Azorin to ask about education Lite 32bits support may be in order.
EDIT: I sent a PM to Azorin on here. As this is not an emergency and there is time to consider prospects on the future of Zorin - Please allow plenty of time for response on it.

Here's the deal, technology constantly improves, and gets better and better. Most people today, buy a new phone, practically as often as they buy a new car. And most people buy a new computer, at least once every 10-years. And most people were on 64-bit computing, by the time 2010 rolled around. In reality, there is absolutely no real need to continue using antiquated 32-bit computers, that are so lacking in SPEC, that they are next to useless in todays world.

At the end of the day, you just got to buy a new machine, and thats that. 64-bit is here to stay, until something new comes around, maybe it will become 128-bit computing in the future, who knows.

Thanks @Aravisian

Links to i-386 distributions:
http://distrowatch.org/search.php?ostyp ... ive#simple

There are 31 in all. Major distributions appear to be only supporting until 2023. This could be because in the long-run, 32-bit Linux will no longer work after 2037 due to a bug in the 32-bit coding - and would indicate Amazon's Alexa is based on this as when asked when the world will end it came back with 20387! My humble Amiga 1500 will still have a working clock in 2099 - it's last year of operation!

elcaballero wrote:Thanks @Aravisian

I was looking at what Zorin Education offers, earlier. Including Scratch and some other stuff. You might take a look at it, as it is supported, as Sward said, for a little longer for 32 bit in Lite version. And it comes with some stuff already ready already.
If nothing else, it may give you some app ideas to install on another distro.

star treker wrote:Here's the deal, technology constantly improves, and gets better and better. Most people today, buy a new phone, practically as often as they buy a new car. And most people buy a new computer, at least once every 10-years. And most people were on 64-bit computing, by the time 2010 rolled around. In reality, there is absolutely no real need to continue using antiquated 32-bit computers, that are so lacking in SPEC, that they are next to useless in todays world.

At the end of the day, you just got to buy a new machine, and thats that. 64-bit is here to stay, until something new comes around, maybe it will become 128-bit computing in the future, who knows.

Says the person who flatly refuses to update to Zorin 15 unless the computer burns down.

star treker wrote:
At the end of the day, you just got to buy a new machine, and thats that.

I am frankly astonished at reading that on a linux based Os forum, that's what I would have expected from a MacOs forum instead.

Since the answer implies ZorinOs is an exclusive product for rich people (exclusive because excludes most people in the world) closer in philosophy to Mac, then it's clear I must look at other distros, and not get my kids hooked into it.

Other reasons such as no developers time to maintain old stuff or bugs in 32 bit code I find perfectly reasonable, but not saying just go and get a new computer as if having that kind of money would be completely normal for everyone.

elcaballero wrote:

star treker wrote:
At the end of the day, you just got to buy a new machine, and thats that.

I am frankly astonished at reading that on a linux based Os forum, that's what I would have expected from a MacOs forum instead.

Since the answer implies ZorinOs is an exclusive product for rich people (exclusive because excludes most people in the world) closer in philosophy to Mac, then it's clear I must look at other distros, and not get my kids hooked into it.

Other reasons such as no developers time to maintain old stuff or bugs in 32 bit code I find perfectly reasonable, but not saying just go and get a new computer as if having that kind of money would be completely normal for everyone.

There appears to be a missunderstanding here. I am not a Zorin developer, nor am I a Linux developer of any kind, neither are Aravisian or SWARFENDOR. All I did was state an opinion, which was based on evidence at hand.

What is one to do, if a product is no longer supported? The answer is, you usually buy a new product which is.

Another example, I had a tablet from 5-years ago, technically the tech inside it is 6-years old at least. Because its not a huge name brand like Samsung or Apple, the manufacture does not support OS upgrades. It was literally stuck at 4.4.2 Kitkat, and therefor, would be stuck at that OS version for life!

So its not simply that the hardware itself is dated, but so is the OS, and with no ability to upgrade, the tablet is becoming more antiquated and useless with each passing year, especially since it can't use new apps! So I was forced to buy a new tablet. My new one runs on Android OS 9 Pie, which is pretty darn current. Snappy performance due to current Octa core hardware as well.

Just speaking from experience is all. I know it sucks, and you aint wrong there. But there is not much we can do about it. Even with Linux OS's, there is a term in which LTS will end and no longer be supported, which forces you to upgrade to the new OS. I myself am still holding back using Zorin OS 12.4. Eventually I am going to be forced to get Zorin OS 15. Not looking forward to all the work, but eventually I will be forced into it. Its the way things role in this reality we live in.

Furthermore, I am not an Employee of Microsoft or Apple. If I were, I wouldn't be using Linux. I don't believe in their business models. All that corporate greed, thats all they care about.

elcaballero wrote:

star treker wrote:
At the end of the day, you just got to buy a new machine, and thats that.

I am frankly astonished at reading that on a linux based Os forum, that's what I would have expected from a MacOs forum instead.

Since the answer implies ZorinOs is an exclusive product for rich people (exclusive because excludes most people in the world) closer in philosophy to Mac, then it's clear I must look at other distros, and not get my kids hooked into it.

Other reasons such as no developers time to maintain old stuff or bugs in 32 bit code I find perfectly reasonable, but not saying just go and get a new computer as if having that kind of money would be completely normal for everyone.

Zorin O.S. currently supports 32bit alongside the list Swarfendor mentioned and will support 32bit for as long as they do. However, your O.P. asked about whether distros, including Zorin, will continue to support 32bit beyond that.
How did this change to - supporting or not supporting 32bit, now?

You can hardly say that Zorin O.S. is an exclusive product for "Rich People." It is a Free O.S.
Can you say that Ubuntu 10.04 is for "Rich People" if you cannot install it on a Commodore computer?

It is not reasonable to think that developers must continue to support 32bit because the developers themselves have no support for developing 32bit. Your point of view and definition of "what is reasonable" is based more on what You Want than what is actually involved in development.
As support drops for 32bit from hardware manufacturers and other software developers, any OS developer still supporting a 32bit system must then fill that gap by supplying patched code themselves and figuring out ways of making a new O.S. with 32bit calls. If they fail to make it so that it works well enough on Most Systems in a very diverse field, then they will get flooded with bug reports and accusations of being incompetent. And that statement assumes that they COULD patch everything in a manner that works- which is not so easy. Every 32bit call must be translated to 64bit code before it can run.
Developers themselves are dependent on other developers and manufacturers. Remove that support and we are talking about a workload doubling, if not tripling, for a FREE O.S. that you can download and use. Can you call that "reasonable?"

I understand your frustration. I certainly cannot rush out and buy a New Computer. I sure would like one. I have been wanting a new computer for years.
You want what is best and right for your kids. What parent wouldn't feel frustration?
But you are allowing your frustration to influence how you perceive others. Linux and FOSS are not based on the idea of taking care of all of everyones computing needs for free. It is based on Freedom- Open Source - which is not the same as "No cost." While you can download software and even Operating Systems for free, the onus is on YOU to put in the extra effort of understanding the terminal, using the commands, enabling installations and learning how to work the OS instead of dumping that onto the developer to do it all for you, right? While you can install and use an O.S. at no cost, the onus is on you to provide a machine that can handle the O.S. - And this is true for ANY of the 31 operating systems on the list that Swarfendor provided.
And the LTS you asked about still remains and will remain for Several YEARS which gives you Plenty of Time to save up to buy a modest and functional computer for your family- As Is Reasonable.

Now that sums up right there, exactly why I bought a new tablet!

I need a new computer too, but I do heavy gaming, photo editing, and as well as, 1080P and 4K video rendering. So to get a notebook that can do all of that extremely well, I'd have to buy at least Acer's top of the line Predator gaming notebook computers, roughly at least 2500 dollars!

A tablet can do 3/4 of what a full computer can, and for far less the cost. I paid only 160 for my new tablet, and I freaking love it! Plus, tablets are even more portable then notebooks, smaller size, far less weight, easier to carry, move around, just all around better in that regard. Quicker to use with the touch screen display as well.

I figure it I have two options regarding a full computer replacement. I can either save up money for it, which is impossible during Corona times, when most of the money is going into food and bills. Or, I could get a low interest loan in the future with my bank. But the way things are right now, thats a huge maybe. I think I made the right choice getting my tablet instead.

https://itsfoss.com/end-of-32-bit-linux/

Also bear in mind that 64-bit predominance will leave developing countries even further behind - perhaps there is still some worth in community led 32-bit distributions like SolydX community editions but their new server/site does not appear to be up yet. Then there is E-Live!

I can confirm that we will be sunsetting support for 32-bit x86 processors with the release of Zorin OS 16. However, we commit to continuing support and software updates for 32-bit systems until April 2023 in the Zorin OS 15 release series.



I do understand that this will be disappointing news for some people using older 32-bit computers with Zorin OS Lite. However, I'd like to shed some light on the context behind making this decision:

Zorin OS – like other Linux distros – is made up of a large collection of software packages such as the kernel, system libraries, runtimes, and – of course – the apps you and I use every day. While some of these packages are developed in-house by us, the vast majority of them are created by other developers and projects (i.e. developed "upstream").

As the number of users of 32-bit computers has decreased steadily over the past few years, many of these upstream developers have slowly begun to focus less on 32-bit support for their software, sometimes even abandoning it altogether.
The overhead of needing to maintain and consistently test their software – on what many people view as a dying architecture – takes time and resources away from shipping new features and improvements for the majority of users. As a result, many developers of the important packages we use in Zorin OS have decided not to make this trade-off.

While this software may continue to compile and run on 32-bit systems for years to come, there is an increasing risk of it becoming unstable and insecure over time. As fewer users have 32-bit computers, it becomes far more difficult to test the software thoroughly for compatibility on 32-bit systems (and to report bugs before release), leading to more 32-bit-related bugs being present in otherwise stable software. An even bigger risk is also the potential security vulnerabilities these bugs may present, which might not be possible to reliably patch downstream. These risks get multiplied for every critical package and piece of software in Zorin OS, leading to an inconsistent and difficult-to-maintain system for 32-bit users.

Because of all of these factors, it's no longer possible for us to guarantee a stable and secure experience on 32-bit systems in future versions of Zorin OS. This is further accentuated by the removal of the 32-bit package repositories from Ubuntu 20.04 (which Zorin OS 16 will be based on), which won't make it reasonably possible for us to maintain a 32-bit version of Zorin OS that meets our quality standards, while also giving us time to make improvements to the OS with every release.

There will still be some 32-bit packages in the repositories in Zorin OS, as some software still depends on them for compatibility reasons, even on 64-bit systems. For example, Wine and the proprietary NVIDIA drivers still need 32-bit versions of some of their packages & dependencies to work fully on 64-bit systems, and we will continue to make them available in future versions of Zorin OS.



However, with the end of one architecture, there comes a new one. Work is ongoing and – while we aren't able to make any certain promises about it yet – we're confident that we'll introduce support for a new architecture in time for the release of Zorin OS 16: ARM. It's increasingly looking like ARM will be the next logical step for computer processors thanks to some of its technical advantages over x86: it can be more powerful, more energy-efficient, and can make computers far more affordable.

The first ARM device we plan to officially support will be the Raspberry Pi 4. There's been a lot of progress this year on getting Linux (and Ubuntu-based distros especially) working snappy and smoothly on the RPi 4 while supporting a full desktop workload. The best part is that the Raspberry Pi 4 (and many computers like it) cost as little as $35.
One of the main things that motivated us to focus on ARM devices – and especially low-cost ones like the RPi4 – is to make computers accessible and useful in the developing world. So far, the Raspberry Pi 4 (and the Linux distributions made for it) have generally been aimed at computer tinkerers and beginner programmers, and it's become a tremendous platform for these use cases. By porting Zorin OS Lite and Education Lite to the Raspberry Pi 4, we're aiming to make it into a great general-purpose computing platform and educational resource for people who never had access to a computer before.



TL;DR:

32-bit x86 support is being dropped from Zorin OS 16 onward.
You will still be able to use 32-bit computers with Zorin OS 15 Lite, which will be supported until April 2023.
We're planning to introduce support for the ARM architecture with the release of Zorin OS 16.
The first ARM computer we will support in Zorin OS will be the Raspberry Pi 4, which starts at $35.