Arch Linux ends 32-bit packages in its repositories

Earlier this year we learned of the Arch Linux team's decision to dispense with 32-bit versions as well as 32-bit packages in the not too distant future. Well, that not-too-distant future has arrived and Arch Linux has started removing 32-bit packages from its repositories.

This means that users who have a 32-bit installation of Arch Linux will stop receiving updates and you won't be able to install many packages and programs from the official Arch Linux repositories.

This sounds like a fateful decision for Arch Linux users, but nothing could be further from the truth. Currently there are many users who have support for 64 bits, since computers from 10 years ago were already compatible at the time with 64-bit technology. So really, The solution to this problem for many is to change their distribution to a 64-bit Arch Linux.

Arch Linux 32, a fork for those who want Arch Linux and the 32-bit platform

In any case, it is true that some areas still have 32-bit equipment and do not have the option to change, such as the Third World areas. It is because of that Arch Linux fork for 32-bit has been created, a parallel version that will contain the latest Arch Linux but for 32-bit platform machines. This version has been called Arch Linux 32. Arch Linux 32 is not a new distribution, but a version or "official flavor" of Arch Linux more. The Arch Linux 32 installation image can be found at the official website created for such a project.

But everything is not so easy. Arch Linux, like Gentoo, Debian or Slackware, is a distribution that many developers use as the basis for their projects. Projects that have 32-bit versions, so now, those projects either abandon the 32-bit architecture or use Arch Linux 32, making their development more complicated.