• Matty_r@programming.dev
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    12 hours ago

    That’s essentially what has happened in some distros like Arch Linux where you have to explicitly install the 32bit versions alongside the 64bit versions.

    Also, Steam provides some 32bit libraries exactly for this reason.

    For one, its just a burden for maintainers to continue to make sure stuff still works with the presence of those libraries. Unmaintained software is increasingly subject to vulnerabilities, adding an additional burden for maintainers that cover off on the security aspect of packages. It also can hold back further development in other areas simply because they need to be able to install those older 32bit libraries.

    The solution to a lot of these problems is containerisation, whereby you’re effectively able to shift these issues off into their own area that has no affect on the rest of the operating system, but can be safely accessed when needed.