New to x86_64; why so many i386 packages?

[Rahul Sundaram]

Steve Snyder wrote:
> I just installed the x86_64 build of Fedora 8.  This is my first ever 
> experience with x86_64 Linux as I haven't had the hardware before now. 
> 
> I'm amazed at the number of duplicate packages installed.  My total of 
> 2096 packages installed includes 417 i386 and 2 i686 packages, all of 
> which duplicate an existing x86_64 packages.
> 
> I understand that some applications don't play nicely when built for 
> 64-bit pointers, but is it really necessary to have all these 
> compatibility libraries just for those few apps?

Well in rawhide leading to Fedora 9, only the "best" arch wins by 
default. If you want both you can set the policy to do that in yum.conf. 
In Fedora 8, use the base arch plugin.

Rahul