LibreOffice 6.3 on Linux, a statement
Following the availability of LibreOffice 6.3 Beta, there have been speculations about 32-bit compatibility based on a the missing 32-bit binaries for Linux.
We have prepared a short and a long statement to clarify the situation.
TL;DR
- The Document Foundation is ending the provision of 32-bit binaries, and NOT 32-bit compatibility as a whole.
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Distro vendors or anyone running a more current 32-bit Linux system can still create 32-bit versions of LibreOffice, as developers have not in any way removed 32-bit compatibility from the source code. Additionally, we are not removing any 32-bit builds that were previously created.
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Most Linux users are sourcing LibreOffice from their distro repositories, which are usually compiled against the distro’s version of the various external libraries. We do not anticipate distros dropping 32-bit LibreOffice packages.
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TDF does not anticipate the same decision happening for LibreOffice 32-bit binaries for Windows any time soon.
LONG
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During the last two years, the number of downloads of the 32-bit Linux distribution-neutral binaries provided by The Document Foundation have decreased to a very low number. Today, the time needed to compile, test, maintain and distribute those binaries is not worth the effort, based on current download numbers. So, TDF is ending the provision of 32-bit binaries, and NOT 32-bit compatibility as a whole.
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Today, 32-bit packages are very much the domain of specific Linux distros rather than a general user need. So, we are leaving them to distros, who will upstream fixes. Indeed, distro vendors or anyone running a more current 32-bit Linux system can still create 32-bit versions of LibreOffice, as developers have not in any way removed 32-bit compatibility from the source code. Additionally, TDF is not removing any 32-bit binaries that were previously created.
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Most Linux users are sourcing LibreOffice from their distro repositories, which are usually compiled against the distro’s version of the various external libraries. LibreOffice by itself ships a number of external components to avoid dependencies, while distros link against the versions of those components which are part of the distro anyway. TDF does not anticipate distros dropping 32-bit LibreOffice packages.
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The Document Foundation does not anticipate the same decision happening for Windows 32-bit binaries any time soon. Of course, if downloads of Windows 32-bit binaries from TDF mirror servers drop to the same very low number as Linux 32-bit packages, TDF will reconsider the situation.
Hello! Since Linux 32-bit support is going to be dropped from LO 6.3, I wonder if you guys (or gals) know whom to I should contact in order to request a know-how, to share the precise steps required, from getting the source up to create deb/rpm packages, including how to produce the language and help packs. That way, we could still produce the Linux 32-bit packages without being the burden that it now represents for the TDF. So far, the documentation about it that we had found on the Internet is very sparse, and we have no prior experience on this topic, as we always relied on the deb packages provided for the TDF.
I’m not aware of other distros providing 32-bit distribution neutral binaries, or even providing their LibreOffice packages more or less at the same time a new version is released.
Read again. Understand. Linux 32-bit support is not going to be dropped.
You understand: TDF is not going to provide 32-bit distribution neutral packages anymore. Read again and again what we are asking TO the LibreOffice packagers.