Re: [LSF/MM/BPF TOPIC] Should we make inode->i_ino a u64?

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026, Theodore Tso wrote:

> Like Debian, the Linux kernel development community is very much a
> do-ocracy --- only more so.  If the 32-bit community really cares about
> Linux support, they need to be providing volunteer labor to kernel
> development, instead of demanding that everyone else pay the overhead
> tax of supporting 32-bit platforms which are rapidly disappearing.

This tells me that it is time for "the 32-bit community" (wtf) to either
look elsewhere, or start thinking of forking the Linux kernel perhaps
sooner rather than later, so we don't bother "the 64-bit community" so
much.

> I will note that Debian itself has made the decision to stop supporting
> the Debian Installer for i386 and the 32-bit armel platform in Debian Trixie.

Which is why (for example) Raspberry Pi is maintaining their own Raspberry Pi OS,
as they have 32-bit systems that aren't EOL for another 3-4 years.

-- kolla