[tex-live] TL platforms vs. dpkg-architecture

[Zdenek Wagner]

Both i386 and i686 refer to 32bit architecture, amd64 refers to 64bit
architecture. 64bit binaries cannot work on a 32bit architecture. 32bit
binaries in principle work on 64bit architecture but it may be necessary to
install some 32bit libraries that are not installed as default. There
should not be a remarkable difference between amd64 and x86_64 (Intel). My
colleagues use molecular dynamics, so their software must be well optimized
to run fast. They have special optimization switched on, so they have a
separate binary optimized for amd64 and a separate binary optimized for
x86_64. I think this is not the case of TeX.

Remember that if you install a package by the packaging manager f your
distro, it usually install only a package for your platform, If you need a
32bit package for a 64bit platform, you have to specify it explicitely.


Zdeněk Wagner
http://ttsm.icpf.cas.cz/team/wagner.shtml
http://icebearsoft.euweb.cz

2016-05-27 12:59 GMT+02:00 Andreas Scherer <andreas_tex at freenet.de>:

> Greetings,
>
> I am in the process of upgrading my physical desktop with a new computer
> and
> experience some discrepancies between TL's 'platform list' and the
> respective
> analysis of the 'dpkg-architecture' programme.
>
> Machine A is running Linux Mint 17.2 (based on Ubuntu 14.04) and is found
> to
> have these values from 'dpkg-architecture':
>
>     arch = i386
>     build_arch = i386
>     os = linux
>     host_cpu = i686
>     host_os = linux
>
> The installed TL2015 runs out of 'bin/i386-linux'.
>
> Machine B is running Kubuntu 16.04 and has these values:
>
>     arch = amd64
>     build_arch = amd64
>     os = linux
>     host_cpu = x86_64
>     host_os = linux
>
> and its TL2015 uses 'bin/x86_64-linux'.
>
> My problem is to find common variables that work on both machines. (See
> https://github.com/ascherer/debbuild/ for details.) I started with using
> 'arch' on machine A ('i386' + 'linux' = 'i386-linux'), but this doesn't
> suite
> machine B ('amd64' + 'linux' /= 'x86_64-linux'). So now I switched to using
> 'host_cpu' on machine B ('x86_64' + 'linux' = 'x86_64-linux'), but now
> machine
> A hickups ('i686' + 'linux' /= 'i386-linux').
>
> Why are some platforms listed with 'amd64' (e.g., bsd), while others are
> listed with 'x86_64' (e.g., linux)?
>
> For now I stick with 'host_cpu' and set a softlink from 'bin/i386-linux' to
> 'i686-linux' on machine A.
>
> Andreas
>
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