Deorbiting i386 (was: Re: svn commit: r333388 - in head: . share/man/man4 sys/confsys/dev/nxge sys/modules sys/modules/nxge tools/kerneldoc/subsys tools/toolstools/tools/nxge usr.sbin/bsdconfig/share)

[Cy Schubert]

In message <20180523202228.GC58848 at spindle.one-eyed-alien.net>, Brooks 
Davis wr
ites:
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> On Thu, May 24, 2018 at 02:53:16AM +0700, Eugene Grosbein wrote:
> > 24.05.2018 2:30, Cy Schubert wrote:
> >=20
> > > Except for old computers and old software that segfaults on 64-bit, how=
>  many people still use i386?
> > >=20
> > > Full disclosure: I'd like to see i386 deorbited before I retire.
> >=20
> > Plese don't. I routinely use FreeBSD11/i386 for cheap VPS hosts having le=
> ss than 2G memory
> > because amd64 has noticeable overhead. I even have ZFS-only i386 VPS, her=
> e is live example with 1G only:
> >=20
> > Mem: 10M Active, 69M Inact, 230M Wired, 685M Free
> > ARC: 75M Total, 1953K MFU, 31M MRU, 172K Anon, 592K Header, 42M Other
> >      3500K Compressed, 29M Uncompressed, 8.61:1 Ratio
> > Swap: 1024M Total, 1024M Free
> >=20
> > The VPS has only 20G of disk space and ZFS compression gives
> > compressratio 2.22x for ports, 2.51x for src, 2.29x for obj
> > and 1.95x for installed i386 system plus other software and data.
>
> I think we're quite a ways from being ready to axe i386.
>
> For VPS applications, we should probably get x32 support in place which
> should give us the best of both worlds.
>
> That said, we either need to rev the i386 ABI to use a 64-bit time_t or
> kill it in the not to distant future or we risk embedded systems failing
> in place in 2038.  If we assume a 15 year life for most equipment to
> fail electrically or mechanically that says FreeBSD 13 shouldn't support
> the current i386 ABI.

Rereading this, I'm confused. FreeBSD 13? 2023? Either works for me, 
though 2023 is more reasonable and gives people more than enough time 
to migrate.


-- 
Cheers,
Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com>
FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy at FreeBSD.org>   Web:  http://www.FreeBSD.org

	The need of the many outweighs the greed of the few.