What are the pros and cons of ia32-libs?
On my working install of Linux (Mint 17), I've been trying to avoid installing the ia32-libs package.
When I've used it in the past, I recall a number of issues arising, most prominently significantly slower boot times and some Cinnamon settings being broken.
I note that the Linux Mint 17.1 upgrade requires ia32-libs for Skype (which I would like to keep using).
This is one major reason that I'm not yet upgrading.
What are the actual pros and cons of the ia32-libs package?
Is it "deprecated" in the sense that new applications are probably going to be 64-bit native, so I might be able to avoid downloading ever? Or am I just delaying the inevitable?
debian 64bit
edited Dec 16 at 4:19
Rui F Ribeiro
38.9k1479129
asked Jan 19 '15 at 15:35
wchargin
6391923
add a comment |
On my working install of Linux (Mint 17), I've been trying to avoid installing the ia32-libs package.
When I've used it in the past, I recall a number of issues arising, most prominently significantly slower boot times and some Cinnamon settings being broken.
I note that the Linux Mint 17.1 upgrade requires ia32-libs for Skype (which I would like to keep using).
This is one major reason that I'm not yet upgrading.
What are the actual pros and cons of the ia32-libs package?
Is it "deprecated" in the sense that new applications are probably going to be 64-bit native, so I might be able to avoid downloading ever? Or am I just delaying the inevitable?
debian 64bit
edited Dec 16 at 4:19
Rui F Ribeiro
38.9k1479129
asked Jan 19 '15 at 15:35
wchargin
6391923
add a comment |
On my working install of Linux (Mint 17), I've been trying to avoid installing the ia32-libs package.
When I've used it in the past, I recall a number of issues arising, most prominently significantly slower boot times and some Cinnamon settings being broken.
I note that the Linux Mint 17.1 upgrade requires ia32-libs for Skype (which I would like to keep using).
This is one major reason that I'm not yet upgrading.
What are the actual pros and cons of the ia32-libs package?
Is it "deprecated" in the sense that new applications are probably going to be 64-bit native, so I might be able to avoid downloading ever? Or am I just delaying the inevitable?
debian 64bit
edited Dec 16 at 4:19
Rui F Ribeiro
38.9k1479129
asked Jan 19 '15 at 15:35
wchargin
6391923
On my working install of Linux (Mint 17), I've been trying to avoid installing the ia32-libs package.
When I've used it in the past, I recall a number of issues arising, most prominently significantly slower boot times and some Cinnamon settings being broken.
I note that the Linux Mint 17.1 upgrade requires ia32-libs for Skype (which I would like to keep using).
This is one major reason that I'm not yet upgrading.
What are the actual pros and cons of the ia32-libs package?
Is it "deprecated" in the sense that new applications are probably going to be 64-bit native, so I might be able to avoid downloading ever? Or am I just delaying the inevitable?
debian 64bit
debian 64bit
edited Dec 16 at 4:19
Rui F Ribeiro
38.9k1479129
asked Jan 19 '15 at 15:35
wchargin
6391923
edited Dec 16 at 4:19
Rui F Ribeiro
38.9k1479129
asked Jan 19 '15 at 15:35
wchargin
6391923
edited Dec 16 at 4:19
Rui F Ribeiro
38.9k1479129
edited Dec 16 at 4:19
Rui F Ribeiro
38.9k1479129
edited Dec 16 at 4:19
Rui F Ribeiro
38.9k1479129
38.9k1479129
asked Jan 19 '15 at 15:35
wchargin
6391923
asked Jan 19 '15 at 15:35
wchargin
6391923
asked Jan 19 '15 at 15:35
wchargin
6391923
6391923
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
ia32-libs allows you to install common 32-bit programs, no more, no less. It's a collection of 32-bit libraries. It has no impact on 64-bit programs. It doesn't hurt performance, all it does is take up a bit of disk space.
Newer versions of Debian and Ubuntu have made ia32-libs obsolete by allowing 32-bit packages to be installed on a 64-bit system, so you can pick exactly the libraries that you need. This is called multiarch. Mint 17 is multiarch, so you can install individual 32-bit libraries by installing the i386 version of the same package name as the 64-bit library, e.g. apt-get install libc6:i386. You may need to enable multiarch (I don't know if the installer does it for you) by running sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 once and for all (then update the package list with apt-get update before you can start installing 32-bit packages).
The ia32-libs package is still provided for backward compatibility in case you have third-party deb packages that declare a dependency on that package name, and to facilitate the installation of a large selection of common libraries in case you have a manually installed binary and don't want to spend time selecting the exact set of packages you need to get the libraries it requires.
answered Jan 20 '15 at 0:11
Gilles
528k12810561583
Thanks for your answer. This 2013 thread on LM forums says that ifdpkg --print-foreign-architecturesprints "i386" (which it does on my box) then "there's no more action to take." Do you agree with this/does it make sense? What would it look like were Mint to make the transition to multiarch?
– wchargin
Jan 20 '15 at 1:36
1
@WChargin That was my mistake, due to not being familiar with Mint releases. Mint actually became multiarch several versions ago. I've updated my answer.
– Gilles
Jan 20 '15 at 8:45
add a comment |
32 bit binaries are generally smaller faster in any form. same for libs. the implication is the newer version of skype is 32 bit. Better question is how your kernel handles 32 bit addressing, or if it does at all. Next would be the hardware your running on. After that would be its purpose. Does it matter if it boots slow or do you just want to know why. In the time it takes to answer one of these questions debian has changed the purpose and implementation of the other three. Perhaps its better not to know so long as it works. It is not a easy answer but in the end if you don't like what you get you should be compiling and packaging these pkg's from source and deploying them yourself instead of asking what some one else happens to be doing today at this moment. You will be more satisfied with the end result.
answered 17 hours ago
iredgood
1
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iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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votes
ia32-libs allows you to install common 32-bit programs, no more, no less. It's a collection of 32-bit libraries. It has no impact on 64-bit programs. It doesn't hurt performance, all it does is take up a bit of disk space.
Newer versions of Debian and Ubuntu have made ia32-libs obsolete by allowing 32-bit packages to be installed on a 64-bit system, so you can pick exactly the libraries that you need. This is called multiarch. Mint 17 is multiarch, so you can install individual 32-bit libraries by installing the i386 version of the same package name as the 64-bit library, e.g. apt-get install libc6:i386. You may need to enable multiarch (I don't know if the installer does it for you) by running sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 once and for all (then update the package list with apt-get update before you can start installing 32-bit packages).
The ia32-libs package is still provided for backward compatibility in case you have third-party deb packages that declare a dependency on that package name, and to facilitate the installation of a large selection of common libraries in case you have a manually installed binary and don't want to spend time selecting the exact set of packages you need to get the libraries it requires.
answered Jan 20 '15 at 0:11
Gilles
528k12810561583
Thanks for your answer. This 2013 thread on LM forums says that ifdpkg --print-foreign-architecturesprints "i386" (which it does on my box) then "there's no more action to take." Do you agree with this/does it make sense? What would it look like were Mint to make the transition to multiarch?
– wchargin
Jan 20 '15 at 1:36
1
@WChargin That was my mistake, due to not being familiar with Mint releases. Mint actually became multiarch several versions ago. I've updated my answer.
– Gilles
Jan 20 '15 at 8:45
add a comment |
ia32-libs allows you to install common 32-bit programs, no more, no less. It's a collection of 32-bit libraries. It has no impact on 64-bit programs. It doesn't hurt performance, all it does is take up a bit of disk space.
Newer versions of Debian and Ubuntu have made ia32-libs obsolete by allowing 32-bit packages to be installed on a 64-bit system, so you can pick exactly the libraries that you need. This is called multiarch. Mint 17 is multiarch, so you can install individual 32-bit libraries by installing the i386 version of the same package name as the 64-bit library, e.g. apt-get install libc6:i386. You may need to enable multiarch (I don't know if the installer does it for you) by running sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 once and for all (then update the package list with apt-get update before you can start installing 32-bit packages).
The ia32-libs package is still provided for backward compatibility in case you have third-party deb packages that declare a dependency on that package name, and to facilitate the installation of a large selection of common libraries in case you have a manually installed binary and don't want to spend time selecting the exact set of packages you need to get the libraries it requires.
answered Jan 20 '15 at 0:11
Gilles
528k12810561583
Thanks for your answer. This 2013 thread on LM forums says that ifdpkg --print-foreign-architecturesprints "i386" (which it does on my box) then "there's no more action to take." Do you agree with this/does it make sense? What would it look like were Mint to make the transition to multiarch?
– wchargin
Jan 20 '15 at 1:36
1
@WChargin That was my mistake, due to not being familiar with Mint releases. Mint actually became multiarch several versions ago. I've updated my answer.
– Gilles
Jan 20 '15 at 8:45
add a comment |
ia32-libs allows you to install common 32-bit programs, no more, no less. It's a collection of 32-bit libraries. It has no impact on 64-bit programs. It doesn't hurt performance, all it does is take up a bit of disk space.
Newer versions of Debian and Ubuntu have made ia32-libs obsolete by allowing 32-bit packages to be installed on a 64-bit system, so you can pick exactly the libraries that you need. This is called multiarch. Mint 17 is multiarch, so you can install individual 32-bit libraries by installing the i386 version of the same package name as the 64-bit library, e.g. apt-get install libc6:i386. You may need to enable multiarch (I don't know if the installer does it for you) by running sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 once and for all (then update the package list with apt-get update before you can start installing 32-bit packages).
The ia32-libs package is still provided for backward compatibility in case you have third-party deb packages that declare a dependency on that package name, and to facilitate the installation of a large selection of common libraries in case you have a manually installed binary and don't want to spend time selecting the exact set of packages you need to get the libraries it requires.
answered Jan 20 '15 at 0:11
Gilles
528k12810561583
ia32-libs allows you to install common 32-bit programs, no more, no less. It's a collection of 32-bit libraries. It has no impact on 64-bit programs. It doesn't hurt performance, all it does is take up a bit of disk space.
Newer versions of Debian and Ubuntu have made ia32-libs obsolete by allowing 32-bit packages to be installed on a 64-bit system, so you can pick exactly the libraries that you need. This is called multiarch. Mint 17 is multiarch, so you can install individual 32-bit libraries by installing the i386 version of the same package name as the 64-bit library, e.g. apt-get install libc6:i386. You may need to enable multiarch (I don't know if the installer does it for you) by running sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 once and for all (then update the package list with apt-get update before you can start installing 32-bit packages).
The ia32-libs package is still provided for backward compatibility in case you have third-party deb packages that declare a dependency on that package name, and to facilitate the installation of a large selection of common libraries in case you have a manually installed binary and don't want to spend time selecting the exact set of packages you need to get the libraries it requires.
answered Jan 20 '15 at 0:11
Gilles
528k12810561583
edited Jan 20 '15 at 8:44
answered Jan 20 '15 at 0:11
Gilles
528k12810561583
answered Jan 20 '15 at 0:11
Gilles
528k12810561583
answered Jan 20 '15 at 0:11
Gilles
528k12810561583
528k12810561583
Thanks for your answer. This 2013 thread on LM forums says that ifdpkg --print-foreign-architecturesprints "i386" (which it does on my box) then "there's no more action to take." Do you agree with this/does it make sense? What would it look like were Mint to make the transition to multiarch?
– wchargin
Jan 20 '15 at 1:36
1
@WChargin That was my mistake, due to not being familiar with Mint releases. Mint actually became multiarch several versions ago. I've updated my answer.
– Gilles
Jan 20 '15 at 8:45
add a comment |
Thanks for your answer. This 2013 thread on LM forums says that ifdpkg --print-foreign-architecturesprints "i386" (which it does on my box) then "there's no more action to take." Do you agree with this/does it make sense? What would it look like were Mint to make the transition to multiarch?
– wchargin
Jan 20 '15 at 1:36
1
@WChargin That was my mistake, due to not being familiar with Mint releases. Mint actually became multiarch several versions ago. I've updated my answer.
– Gilles
Jan 20 '15 at 8:45
Thanks for your answer. This 2013 thread on LM forums says that if
dpkg --print-foreign-architectures prints "i386" (which it does on my box) then "there's no more action to take." Do you agree with this/does it make sense? What would it look like were Mint to make the transition to multiarch?– wchargin
Jan 20 '15 at 1:36
Thanks for your answer. This 2013 thread on LM forums says that if
dpkg --print-foreign-architectures prints "i386" (which it does on my box) then "there's no more action to take." Do you agree with this/does it make sense? What would it look like were Mint to make the transition to multiarch?– wchargin
Jan 20 '15 at 1:36
1
1
@WChargin That was my mistake, due to not being familiar with Mint releases. Mint actually became multiarch several versions ago. I've updated my answer.
– Gilles
Jan 20 '15 at 8:45
@WChargin That was my mistake, due to not being familiar with Mint releases. Mint actually became multiarch several versions ago. I've updated my answer.
– Gilles
Jan 20 '15 at 8:45
add a comment |
32 bit binaries are generally smaller faster in any form. same for libs. the implication is the newer version of skype is 32 bit. Better question is how your kernel handles 32 bit addressing, or if it does at all. Next would be the hardware your running on. After that would be its purpose. Does it matter if it boots slow or do you just want to know why. In the time it takes to answer one of these questions debian has changed the purpose and implementation of the other three. Perhaps its better not to know so long as it works. It is not a easy answer but in the end if you don't like what you get you should be compiling and packaging these pkg's from source and deploying them yourself instead of asking what some one else happens to be doing today at this moment. You will be more satisfied with the end result.
answered 17 hours ago
iredgood
1
New contributor
iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
32 bit binaries are generally smaller faster in any form. same for libs. the implication is the newer version of skype is 32 bit. Better question is how your kernel handles 32 bit addressing, or if it does at all. Next would be the hardware your running on. After that would be its purpose. Does it matter if it boots slow or do you just want to know why. In the time it takes to answer one of these questions debian has changed the purpose and implementation of the other three. Perhaps its better not to know so long as it works. It is not a easy answer but in the end if you don't like what you get you should be compiling and packaging these pkg's from source and deploying them yourself instead of asking what some one else happens to be doing today at this moment. You will be more satisfied with the end result.
answered 17 hours ago
iredgood
1
New contributor
iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
32 bit binaries are generally smaller faster in any form. same for libs. the implication is the newer version of skype is 32 bit. Better question is how your kernel handles 32 bit addressing, or if it does at all. Next would be the hardware your running on. After that would be its purpose. Does it matter if it boots slow or do you just want to know why. In the time it takes to answer one of these questions debian has changed the purpose and implementation of the other three. Perhaps its better not to know so long as it works. It is not a easy answer but in the end if you don't like what you get you should be compiling and packaging these pkg's from source and deploying them yourself instead of asking what some one else happens to be doing today at this moment. You will be more satisfied with the end result.
answered 17 hours ago
iredgood
1
New contributor
iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
32 bit binaries are generally smaller faster in any form. same for libs. the implication is the newer version of skype is 32 bit. Better question is how your kernel handles 32 bit addressing, or if it does at all. Next would be the hardware your running on. After that would be its purpose. Does it matter if it boots slow or do you just want to know why. In the time it takes to answer one of these questions debian has changed the purpose and implementation of the other three. Perhaps its better not to know so long as it works. It is not a easy answer but in the end if you don't like what you get you should be compiling and packaging these pkg's from source and deploying them yourself instead of asking what some one else happens to be doing today at this moment. You will be more satisfied with the end result.
answered 17 hours ago
iredgood
1
New contributor
iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 17 hours ago
iredgood
1
New contributor
iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 17 hours ago
iredgood
1
answered 17 hours ago
iredgood
1
1
New contributor
iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
iredgood is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
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