Pointer tagging

Hacker News 上看到「Pointer Tagging for x86 Systems (lwn.net)」這篇,在講目前的 64 bits 環境下還不可能提供整個 64 bits 可以定位的位置,所以 pointer 裡面比較高的那些位置就可以被拿來挪去其他用的想法。

先算了一下數字,如果以 8 bits 為一個單位來算,之前經典的 32 bits 定位空間是 4GB,40 bits 是 1TB,這兩個都已經有機器可以做到了 (AWS 提供的 u-12tb1.112xlarge 是 12TB)。

接下來的 48 bits 的時候可以到 256TB,這個不確定目前有沒有單一機器可以做到 (印象中 IBM 好像很喜歡幹這個?),56 bits 則是到 64PB,最後的 64 bits 則是 16EB。

真的是沒注意到...

Ubuntu 改變放掉 i386 的計畫

先前在「Ubuntu 19.10 要放掉 i386 架構」這邊提到 Ubuntu 要放掉 i386 的計畫,因為造成的迴響很大,現在官方決定修改本來的結論:「Statement on 32-bit i386 packages for Ubuntu 19.10 and 20.04 LTS」。

在本來的計畫裡,是完全放生 i386 架構 (完全不管):

While this means we will not provide 32-bit builds of new upstream versions of libraries, there are a number of ways that 32-bit applications can continue to be made available to users of later Ubuntu releases, as detailed in [4]. We will be working to polish the 32-bit support story over the course of the 19.10 development cycle. To follow the evolution of this support, you can participate in the discourse thread at [5].

現在則是打算透過 container 技術支援 32-bit library & binary,算是某種緩衝方式:

We will also work with the WINE, Ubuntu Studio and gaming communities to use container technology to address the ultimate end of life of 32-bit libraries; it should stay possible to run old applications on newer versions of Ubuntu. Snaps and LXD enable us both to have complete 32-bit environments, and bundled libraries, to solve these issues in the long term.

但應該還是會有程式沒辦法在 container 環境裡跑,看起來官方決定放掉了...