Confuzzled
Very Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2018
- Messages
- 301
Excuse me if this has been asked before, but I haven't found a clear view regarding the 32-bit future. I _have_ looked, but perhaps in the wrong places.
AFAIK the Pyra, as currently designed and being implemented, uses a 32-bit cpu. In the Intel/AMD world, 32-bit 'x86' cpus are pretty much dead - so much so that many Linux distributions no longer 32-bit ISOs. This also means (I think) that many applications no longer offer 32-bit versions.
Part of my interest in the Pyra is using it as an 'extremely portable' general purpose computing device, which means I would like it to run standard desktop applications like the Firefox web-browser, the Thunderbird email client, and the LibreOffice Office suite. This is not because I want to use it as my only computing device, but so that I can produce documents on my desktop or notepad format computers and share to read-and-modify them on the Pyra when travelling.
So, what does the future hold. Does anyone know whether Firefox/Thunderbird/LibreOffice will retainf 32-bit compatibility? What about a Linux distribution for the Pyra - any issue with future availability there? And in the very long term, is it possible or likely that an upgraded cpu module/board for the Pyra would be a 64-bit cpu, neatly sidestepping any issue above?
I'm admitting my ignorance here, and if anyone can point to an already existing clear and concise reply to the above, I'd be grateful, and apologetic for not finding it. If I have some errors in understanding, please point them out gently. If you have read this far, thank you, and if you reply, thank you in advance.
Confuzzled
AFAIK the Pyra, as currently designed and being implemented, uses a 32-bit cpu. In the Intel/AMD world, 32-bit 'x86' cpus are pretty much dead - so much so that many Linux distributions no longer 32-bit ISOs. This also means (I think) that many applications no longer offer 32-bit versions.
Part of my interest in the Pyra is using it as an 'extremely portable' general purpose computing device, which means I would like it to run standard desktop applications like the Firefox web-browser, the Thunderbird email client, and the LibreOffice Office suite. This is not because I want to use it as my only computing device, but so that I can produce documents on my desktop or notepad format computers and share to read-and-modify them on the Pyra when travelling.
So, what does the future hold. Does anyone know whether Firefox/Thunderbird/LibreOffice will retainf 32-bit compatibility? What about a Linux distribution for the Pyra - any issue with future availability there? And in the very long term, is it possible or likely that an upgraded cpu module/board for the Pyra would be a 64-bit cpu, neatly sidestepping any issue above?
I'm admitting my ignorance here, and if anyone can point to an already existing clear and concise reply to the above, I'd be grateful, and apologetic for not finding it. If I have some errors in understanding, please point them out gently. If you have read this far, thank you, and if you reply, thank you in advance.
Confuzzled