The x32 subarchitecture may be removed
The x32 subarchitecture may be removed
[Kernel] Posted Dec 12, 2018 16:52 UTC (Wed) by corbet
The x32 subarchitecture is a software variant of x86-64; it runs the processor in the 64-bit mode, but uses 32-bit pointers and arithmetic. The idea is to get the advantages of x86-64 without the extra memory usage that goes along with it. It seems, though, that x32 is not much appreciated; few distributions support it and the number of users appears to be small. So now Andy Lutomirski is proposing its eventual removal:
I propose that we make CONFIG_X86_X32 depend on BROKEN for a release
or two and then remove all the code if no one complains. If anyone
wants to re-add it, IMO they're welcome to do so, but they need to do
it in a way that is maintainable.
If there are x32 users out there, now would be a good time for them to speak up.