On 12/17/23, Andy Smith <a...@strugglers.net> wrote: > On Sun, Dec 17, 2023 at 06:10:49AM -0500, Timothy M Butterworth wrote: >> On Sat, Dec 16, 2023 at 7:45 PM Tixy <t...@yxit.co.uk> wrote: >> > Just announced today [1] it looks like Debian will drop i386 installs >> > for the next release. >> > >> > [1] >> > https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2023/12/msg00003.html >> > >> Goodbye i386, you had a good run. > > I expect it to be decades before it's gone! 32-bit binaries will > keep on being run under amd64.
There's always some place like Linux Collections out there, too. This isn't an ad, it's a happy customer gush. My CDs and DVDs from them are 4 years old, and all still work great when emergency access is needed. Wasn't a random purchase. I test drove LC because they're listed here: https://www.debian.org/CD/vendors/#us That points you to an amazingly long list of Debian releases: https://linuxcollections.com/products/debian/debian.htm Some poking around finds this which moves away from being solely Debian: https://linuxcollections.com/products/buildcollection.htm DISCLAIMER: My very old i386 CDs used to work on everything. The ones I purchased from them did not. It's possible that the difference is that I'm using much more modern hardware these many years later, but I won't swear to that being the only difference in that equation. That "build collection" option is how I picked out my stack of about 15 CDs and DVDs for maybe $35 four years ago. Prices are still within my range with some looking like they haven't changed any from before. Yeah, you can still SOMETIMES find similar archive files to download and burn your own.. but not always, especially if you're seeking an operating system's entire history while waxing nostalgic. For example, Linux Collections lists ArtistX whose online presence is disappearing. ArtistX has a PHENOMENAL number of visual and audio creator type programs. A lot of them may not exist anymore. I LOVED that DVD literally to its death so a heartfelt thank you to the diehard fans who keep very old projects accessible today. Wandering off now remembering that stack of 31 Debian CDs I bought from that guy who also used to be referenced on Debian dotORG but who closed his business a few years ago. Never even got CD #1 to work because I was so brand new to Linux at the time. That thought caused me to roll down the page to the bottom of Linux Collections' Debian offerings. There is a "donate" option that I forgot they have. I fully trust their promise to pay it forward... because I can still find them listed on that Debian dotORG webpage. Beyond that, they sure are not gouging on those prices... $2.39 still.. wow. PS No, I didn't find specifics about them shipping international. While test driving their "Add To Order" button, I ended up at their shopping cart. That page does reference international orders so that's hopeful. PPS When playing with old distros, don't forget their security support shut down sometimes decades ago. PPPS They got DSL, Damn Small Linux. That's the distribution that triggered my addiction to minimalist debootstrap. When I encountered those 3 years or so of permanent GPT-induced GRUB boot fails recently, I tried to find a replacement operating system because others were still booting just fine from LiveDVDs. Never stumbled on anything as cognitively friendly as debootstrap.. and so here we still are. Thank you, Developers! Cindy :) -- Talking Rock, Pickens County, Georgia, USA * runs with her Happy New Year's Linux wishlist champing at the bit *
