So, where there is need/desire to keep Debian running long(er) term on
x86 32-bit ("i386") (e.g. Pentium class chips that are not at all
64-bit), what's the best way to go about that?
Recommendations/experiences?
So, e.g. one could ...
Stick with Debian 12 (the last released "i386" installable and kernels),
and continue with that, now into oldstable, into LTS, then perhaps ELTS
or self-support after that. Or ...
Well, one of things I pleasantly discovered on Debian 13, is though it
no longer supports i386 as installable nor provides i386 (686) 32-bit
kernels, it does still have most everything else still available in i386
architecture. So, e.g. it is possible (I've done it now, at least for
testing on some VMs), to have Debian 12, configure APT and suitable
pinning, such that both Debian 12 and 13 are configured, everything
prefers 13, except the kernels, and all but the kernel(s) is(/are)
upgraded to Debian 13, and with that configuration, the Debian 12
kernels also do still receive their (security, etc.) updates (through
oldstable, and later LTS, maybe even ELTS). Meanwhile, all else is
supported and current under stable{,-{updates,security}} (and likewise
oldstable for the kernels). I'm also wondering how that's likely to
play out going forward, as Debian 14, etc. are released. Could again,
upgrade everything but the kernels, and might still work, but I suspect
likely at some future point, other core components/libraries/etc. will
cease to be compatible with a sufficiently too old kernel (or Debian
might more fully drop i386 with some >=14 release).
Anyway, at present do have some (effectively) Debian 13 i386 (all but
kernel, kernel from Debian 12) systems, and wondering about the long(er)
term viability of that (and support, etc.), vs., e.g. just keeping
everything on 12.
And I do of course realize these are relatively untested configurations,
so, at least eventually, some things may break and/or not (fully) work.
But I'm also guestimating, for the most part, only one major version
apart, should for the most part work, notably also as often in-service
systems transition through that phase through major version upgrades,
and generally without issue.
