Glad to see the Ubuntu devs decided not to make the same mistake as Apple, a lot of recent desktop linux adoption is being driven by Steam and its huge library of Linux-compatible games.
Twice as many packages run under Linux than under MacOS, specifically because of the lack of 32 bit support.
I know of very few actively-maintained 32-bit Mac applications that didn’t make it to 64-bit: MathType and AccountEdge are the ones I remember right now.
Plus 32 bit software can still run if it's stacically linked or run inside a container. The only thing that doens't ship is the dynamic libraries for 32 bit executables to run.
It does get installed if you want to play games on Linux, though because computer games will require 32 bit libraries for many years to come.
I think probably the right way to handle 32-bit compat is well-integrated virtualization ala Classic Mode from OS X’s early days. When the user tries to run a 32-bit binary, boot up a minimal old copy of the host OS and run it there. It’s not as nice as running it directly, but I think that’s fine; it gently pushes devs to bring their antiquated software into the modern era while allowing users to continue to run it and keeps OS development unshackled from the past.
There is some serious aversion to providing users what they want in the Linux world.
Many of them would go back to Windows. Others would move to another Linux distro. Either way, Ubuntu would make a lot of people mad.
Ubuntu avoids Flatpak for strategic reasons, which is a valid choice that might make sense for developers, but it also makes Ubuntu less easy-to-use for people who just want to use their computer.
I suppose Ubuntu could stop packaging these files if they distributed all 32 bit software over snap or Flatpak, but I don't think this solves as many problems as removing x86 multiarch would create.
Is flatpack still Desktop focused , depends on desktop session or changed recently?
It this still holds true then your claim is bullshit, snap is a more powerful tool because I could setup CLI programs on a server without a desktop session.
From flatpack FAQ I still see
>Flatpak is designed to run inside a desktop session and relies on certain session services, such as a D-Bus session bus and, optionally, a systemd --user instance. This makes Flatpak not a good match for a server.
(Threads on x86-64 Linux can freely switch between 32-bit and 64-bit mode.)
It'll happen eventually, but I think we've still got a few years of multiarch ahead of us.
The steam console runs Linux. Android runs a Linux.
The Steam Deck is a device serving a few million in a market of billions. The Switch outsold the Deck ten to one, with the Switch being an old console and the Deck in its release year.
Even with Steam Deck included in the survey, about 2% of Steam users (which is a subset of the gaming market) use Linux.
(That's the case for Android at least; I'm not sure about the Steam Deck.)
Android could swap out Linux for some other kernel (e.g. Fuchsia) relatively easily and users wouldn't notice. Google already did that with the Nest Hub.
AFAIK, the Steam Deck is a traditional Linux desktop (KDE), which automatically runs the Steam launcher (in full-screen Big Picture mode) by default (but you can easily exit it and go back to the normal desktop if you want).
It is simpler for when you have minimal hardware, but phones are no longer minimal.
I wonder though, whether with GeForce (etc), streaming games from the cloud, the local OS becomes even less important after all. Even a MacBook could be a decent gaming laptop (the hardware is already a superb gaming laptop, just apple keeps the software crippled).