Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Advice for 64-bit n00b?

[Volker Armin Hemmann]

On Donnerstag 04 März 2010, Nikos Chantziaras wrote:
> On 03/04/2010 08:44 AM, Graham Murray wrote:
> > Volker Armin Hemmann<volkerarmin@××××××××××.com>  writes:
> >> no, it is not safe to have a 64bit only system. Just choose the multilib
> >> profile and start installing. If something needs the 32bit emul libs, it
> >> will pull the stuff in. There is nothing you need to care about.
> >
> > What is unsafe about a 64bit only system? Surely if it were unsafe then
> > Gentoo would not offer no-multilib profiles? I have recently built 2
> > systems using a no-multilib profile and have not found any problems, and
> > expect to start building a third one today.
>
> You didn't understand the question Volker was replying to.  The question
> was not about "safe" as in "security", but rather "safe" as in "I can
> rest assured that a no-multilib system can run every software I could
> install", which is clearly not the case since some applications need
> 32-bit support.

exactly. As Alan explained, there might be a point where you need to run a 
32bit app.
Maybe some legacy game (Civilization Call To Power comes to mind) or some new-
but-the-vendor-sucks software.
Without multilib you can either choose not to use that software (which isn't a 
choice if you really need it) or you can reinstall everything.

And all that for a couple of megabytes on a tens, maybe hundreds of gigabytes 
harddisk.

du -h /usr/lib32
362M    /usr/lib32

but:
rootfs                 57G   23G   34G  41% /

yeah, shocking. Almost a 114th of the harddisk used for multilib stuff ;)