The move to 64 bits is being done much faster than we might think. If a few years ago this architecture was a minority, with only a few users and not even a headache for change, the latest modifications in operating systems are forcing this evolution in a sometimes abrupt way. Such is the case with the next version of Ubuntu.
The Linux distribution is about to release the stable 17.10 version. And, apart from the changes that have already been announced, there will be a very interesting change: there will not be published ISO images of Ubuntu 17.10 in the 32-bit architecture. The notification was done on a mailing list of the team’s launch.
Dimitri John Ledkov, one of the Canonical workers, has confirmed that the reasons for the change are several: the 64 bits, for starters, are already the architecture most used in desktop and server computers. Of course, taking into account that the i386 architecture will still be used in some scenarios, certain files will be kept as security patches, images in the cloud, containers and network installers, among others. There will still be versions of the 32 bit, although the images from the classic and desktop servers are left out.
If you are Ubuntu desktop users, the best recommendation we have for you is that you update your hardware as soon as possible in order to be compatible with 64-bit. Otherwise, you will be getting old-fashioned little by little. And without the possibility of gaining access to the future versions of the operating systems.