Changing the default 32-bit x86 arch for Fedora 12 (#2)

[Jeff Spaleta]

On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 3:55 PM, Mike Chambers<mike at miketc.net> wrote:
> Question is, how reliable would smolt be, if you don't know how many
> more are *not* reporting to smolt anyway, via not on internet but on
> just a local network?


I'll take it with a grain of salt...but I've no a priori reason to
think that the number of 32bit installs on 64bit hardware would be
unrepresentative....if we exclude virtualized installs completely.
I'm not trying to compare the existence of 32bit to 64bit hardware....
just 32bit OS installs on 64bit hardware as a subset of all registered
64bit hardware.  Just looking at 64bit hardware doesn't have the same
sort of legacy or geographic distribution caveats that 32bit does with
regard to re-purposed equipment. 64bit stuff just hasn't been around
long enough.

If 32bit installs on 64bit hardware is a tiny percentage of the
registered smolt installs i doubt seriously its going to a majority
situation for 64bit hardware in the wild. If its 20% or more as a
function registered 64bit hardware..its a big enough population to try
to account for in how we communicate a change in policy with regard to
32bit. I'm not suggesting that policy decision be based on this
numbers..I'm saying that how we communicate a change in policy should
have these numbers in mind when generating Release specific talking
points for the release where the change impacts potential install
scenarios..

-jef