Lubuntu 18.10 will continue to support 32-bit devices

While Ubuntu and most of its derivatives have stopped providing 32-bit x86 images, as the number of these devices is decreasing, Lubuntu is one of the few teams that still offer i686 images to help users who may still be using outdated hardware. Let them use the latest Linux systems and software.

Lubuntu said that:

“Lubuntu has, for the entirety of its lifetime, supported the i386 architecture (commonly referred to as 32-bit). But, as hardware is becoming newer, we are starting to have a hard time maintaining i386 going forward, as the machines are becoming rare. We understand that there is still interest for keeping the i386 images for Lubuntu, and thus, have not dropped it like the majority of other Ubuntu flavors have.

However, when we stop receiving adequate testing on the ISO QA tracker for i386, especially before a milestone or release, we believe this indicates the end of user interest for supporting it. As such, we will only continue to support these images if there is adequate testing for them, and they will no longer be a release blocker if the images are not tested (they will not be released in that case, and will not receive further releases).

So, if you have i386 machines that you are still using Lubuntu on, please help us test, or the images will no longer be released.”

Lubuntu developers say they will use it as a measure of user interest in the architecture once they stop receiving i386’s ISO QA tracker tests, especially during milestones or release times.

If you want to help them test, you can download the 32-bit installation image from here.