linux-kernel - Re: Can we drop upstream Linux x32 support?

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Date:   Tue, 11 Dec 2018 21:53:51 +0000 (UTC)
From:   Thorsten Glaser <tg@...bsd.de>
To:     Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
cc:     Andrew Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>,
        the arch/x86 maintainers <x86@...nel.org>,
        Linux List Kernel Mailing <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        linux-api@...r.kernel.org, Peter Anvin <hpa@...or.com>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>, bp@...en8.de,
        fweimer@...hat.com, vapier@...too.org, hjl.tools@...il.com,
        dalias@...c.org, x32@...ldd.debian.org,
        Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>,
        Will Deacon <will.deacon@....com>,
        Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas@....com>
Subject: Re: Can we drop upstream Linux x32 support?

Note: please keep me in Cc because I am not subscribed.

Linus Torvalds dixit:

>I'm not opposed to trying to sunset the support, but let's see who complains..

I will hereby complain.

I’m using Debian/x32 on my main desktop at work, and do
occasionally help out with porting issues. It’s a good
way to make more out of 64-bit machines without going
all 64 bit; it’s also helped me find bugs in software.
It’s a nice architectural idea, and a way forward for
things that are constricted to 32 bits while opening
up stuff like 64-bit time_t without taking up half the
available CPU registers (while more than doubling the
number of the available CPU registers, too).

I was also considering investing a nontrivial amount of
work into porting klibc to x32, since hpa does not wish
to do it himself. Thankfully I have only done a bit yet.

Furthermore, x32 was the first of the many *64ilp32
architectures; I know I’ve seen amd64ilp32 and at least
one other I don’t recall. It will have prototyped many
of the problems users of these will run in, and I’d prefer
to keep it (completely selfish because I don’t wish to
have to crossgrade a whole system yet again).

Thanks for your consideration,
//mirabilos
--  
When he found out that the m68k port was in a pretty bad shape, he did
not, like many before him, shrug and move on; instead, he took it upon
himself to start compiling things, just so he could compile his shell.
How's that for dedication. -- Wouter, about my Debian/m68k revival