Re: [gentoo-amd64] no-multilib and 32-bit chroot

[Jesús Guerrero]

On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:30:57 +0000 (UTC), Duncan <1i5t5.duncan@×××.net>
wrote:
> Just in case anybody ever wondered, there's nothing stopping someone
from 
> doing the 32-bit chroot (as in the gentoo/amd64 documentation) on a
> no-multilib system.  In fact, it's a cleaner way to do it, since the two

> systems will be fully separated, no 32-bit stuff on the 64-bit side, and

> no 64-bit stuff on the 32-bit side, plus no generic 32-bit binary-only
> emul-linux-x86 libs to worry about.

It's all about options. I find it cleaner to pursue the true multilib (as
implemented in the multilib overlay) than to have to OSes just to run a few
apps. That feels like having a Windows installation just to run a couple of
games: hackish at best. But, as said, it's just a matter of opinions.
There's no absolute best option, it depends on your tastes. This way you
can get things like true DRM working no matter what kind of binary you are
using.
 
> The one caveat is to make sure you have the kernel set to handle 32-bit
> also (in menuconfig, under executable file formats, ia32 emulation), but

> that's needed for grub-static anyway, I believe, so no big deal there.

However you don't need that for grub. You can install grub to your MBR
from a livecd and then forget about it. Unlike lilo, grub doesn't need to
be reinstalled each time you add a new kernel to your menu.

-- 
Jesús Guerrero