Richard Brown composed on 2015-09-08 14:41 (UTC+0200): ...
#5 No contributors have stepped up and started to work with the existing build team to keep 32-bit support. #6 No one is blocking anyone from working on 32-bit support, but the people previously involved don't want to do it, and some people like me think it's not worth the effort (but that doesn't mean I mind if other people think I'm wrong - I'm equally happy when my opinion is accepted or not as long as openSUSE benefits) ... openSUSE's architecture support reflects the interest of the openSUSE community, and is a result of those contributors working on those architectures. ... There must comes a time that the desire to develop, improve, and move forward must mean that support for the past doesn't bring the benefit of the time, effort, and cost required. ... I don't want to see people leave, but if they really do only have 32-bit capable hardware right now, I'd imagine the cost and effort of upgrading to cheap, maybe even second hand, 64-bit hardware is no more difficult than moving to a different distribution
Obviously, there are emotions to take into account, so such rational options will not be considered by all. Therefore, I'm sure we will loose some people over this. I don't like it, but I accept it's a cost that comes with progress and I really think it's more important we do what is right for the long term sustainability of the Project than burn ourselves out trying to make everyone happy in all cases. ...
Maybe the attrition in openSUSE is attributable to the nature of the users of older hardware, who just want to keep on not fixing what ain't broke. The relatively short/frequent release schedule is a model made for hardware upgraders, just the opposite of old hardware users, who mainly "upgrade" in order to keep supplied with security fixes. Contrast the <1year official cycle with that of Debian. Its Jessie 8.x was released this year with a 3 year initial support period, to be followed by an LTS period extending its life to 5 years. 32 bit remains #2 in its supported arch list. Users of older hardware may also find it more difficult to engage a contributory niche, at least in part because of Wirth's Law. Keeping pace with software evolution necessitates newer, faster hardware. Sticking with old hardware escalates the difficulty, snuffing desire. This is only speculation on my part, but I have to think another reason for relative scarcity of voluntary contributors is a natural result the paid contributor component of the resource pool, those who contribute to openSUSE through their roles WRT SLE development, and bias its decision processes for the benefit of those getting paid for SLE support. As it has been throughout history, some people simply cannot avoid dependance on the charity of others. Apparently critical mass of altruism in the openSUSE resource pool has been depleted beyond recovery, unofficially announced by coolo here: http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-factory/2015-08/msg00556.html -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse-factory+owner@opensuse.org