Re: Bug#1124838: release-notes: 5.1.2. Reduced support for i386: provides incorrect information

Justin B Rye <[email protected]> writes:

> Martin-Éric Racine wrote:
>> Release notes for i386 currently state:
>> 
>> "The i386 architecture is now only intended to be used on a 64-bit (amd64) CPU.
>>  Its instruction set requirements include SSE2 support, so it will not run 
>>  successfully on most of the 32-bit CPU types that were supported by Debian 12."
>> 
>> "Users running i386 systems should not upgrade to trixie. Instead, Debian recommends
>>  either reinstalling them as amd64, where possible, or retiring the hardware.
>>  Cross-grading without a reinstall is a technically possible, but risky, alternative."
>> 
>> The second paragraph is especially problematic since 32-bit hardware
>> cannot run 64-bit binaries.
>
> It doesn't say they can; it's talking about systems currently running
> Debian's i386 arch, which may include 64bit-capable machines.  The PC
> I'm writing this on, for instance, was running a 32bit OS when I first
> got it many years ago, but now runs 64bit trixie.  Hence the advice
> that users should switch "where possible".
>
> Still, if this is unclear, maybe we ought to rephrase it.  Would it
> help if the second paragraph said something like "Users running the
> i386 version of bookworm should not upgrade to trixie"?

fwiw, that seems so close to what is there i wonder if it's worth
changing -- how likely is it that there are any users who wont
understand the paragraph as written but would understand the new
version, i wonder