Large-file support: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:52, 10 February 2020

Revision as of 10:07, 10 February 2020

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020|cs1-dates=y}}

'''Large-file support''' ('''LFS''') is the term frequently applied to the ability to create files larger than either 2 or 4 [[Gibibyte|GiB]] on [[32-bit]] [[filesystem|filesystems]]s.

==Details==

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==Adoption==

The usage of the large-file API in 32-bit programs had been incomplete for a long time. An analysis did show in 2002 that many base libraries of operating systems were still shipped without large-file support thereby limiting applications using them.<ref>http://ac-archive.sourceforge.net/largefile/distros.html</ref> The much-used [[zlib]] library started to support 64-bit large-files on 32-bit platform not before 2006.<ref>https://www.zlib.net/ChangeLog.txt</ref>

The problem disappeared slowly with PC and workstations moving completely to [[64-bit computing]]. Microsoft Windows Server 2008 has been the last server version to be shipped in 32-bit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcwelt.de/news/Windows-Server-2008-Microsofts-letztes-32-Bit-Betriebssystem-fuer-Server-334946.html|title=Windows Server 2008: Microsofts letztes 32-Bit-Betriebssystem für Server|publisher=PC Welt|date=2007-05-28|author= Panagiotis Kolokythas}}</ref> [[Red Hat Enterprise Linux#Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.x|Redhat Enterprise Linux 7]] was published in 2014 only as a 64-bit operationg system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://access.redhat.com/solutions/509373|title=Are 32-bit applications supported in RHEL 7 or later releases?|publisher=Red Hat|date=February 2014-02}}</ref> Ubuntu Linux stopped delivering a 32-bit variant in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/intel-32bit-packages-on-ubuntu-from-19-10-onwards/11263|title=Intel 32bit packages on Ubuntu from 19.10 onwards|date=2019-06-02|publisher=Canonical|author=Will Cooke}}</ref> Nvidia stopped developting 32-bit drivers in 2018 and they stopped delivering updates after january 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://windowsreport.com/nvidia-32-bit-windows-end-support/|title=Nvidia discontinues support for 32-bit Windows platforms|publisher=Windows Report|author=Matthew Addams|date=2018-04-12}}</ref> Apple did stop developing 32-bit Mac OS versions in 2018 delivering [[macOS Mojave]] only as a 64-bit operating system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/06/05/mojave-is-apples-last-version-of-macos-to-support-32-bit-apps|title=Mojave is Apple's last version of macOS to support 32-bit apps|publisher=Apple Insider|author=Steven Silver|date=2018-06-05}}</ref> There is no [[End-of-life (product)|end-of-life]] known for Windows 10 on the desktop which is related to the latest upgrades from old systems like Window-7 & Windows-8 in January 2020 as some of those system ran on old computers built on the i386 architecture.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/help/4057281/windows-7-support-ended-on-january-14-2020|title=Der Support für Windows 7 endet am 14. Januar 2020|publisher=Microsoft|accessdate=2020-02-09}}</ref>

A similar development can be seen in the mobile area. Google required to support 64-bit versions of applications in their app store by August 2019,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.golem.de/news/google-auf-dem-weg-zum-reinen-64-bit-android-1901-138792.html|title=Auf dem Weg zu reinen 64-Bit-Android-Apps|publisher=Golem|author=Andreas Sebayang|date=2019-01-17}}</ref> which allows to discontinue 32-bit support for [[Android (operating system)|Android]] later.<ref name=itmagazine2014>{{cite web|url=https://www.itmagazine.ch/Artikel/68830/Google_kuendigt_Ende_von_32-Bit-Android-Apps_per_2021_an.html|title=Google kündigt Ende von 32-Bit-Android-Apps per 2021 an|publisher=IT Magazin|author=mw|date=2019-01-17}}</ref> The shift towards 64-bit started in 2014 when all new processors were designed to a 64-bit architecture and [[Android Lollipop|Android 5]] ("Lollipop") was published in that year providing a fitting 64-bit variant of the operating system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.android-user.de/64-bit-android-diese-prozessoren-gibt-es-diese-veraenderungen-kommen/|title=64-Bit-Android: Diese Prozessoren gibt es, diese Veränderungen kommen|date=2014-08-26|publisher=Android User}}</ref><ref name=itmagazine2014 /> Apple had made shift in the year before starting to produce the 64-Bit [[Apple A7]] by 2013. Google started to deliver the development environment for Linux only in 64-bit by 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/37074522|title=Platform-tools 23.1.0 Linux changed to 64-bit without notice.|publisher=Android Public Tracker|date=2015-12-11|quote= It turns out the android-sdk-linux/platform-tools content is 32-bit ELF in 23.0.1 but 64-bit ELF in 23.1_rc1 and 23.1.0. [..] I set ANDROID_EMULATOR_FORCE_32BIT=true [..] 23.0.1 is the last 32-bit Linux build.}}</ref> Im May 2019 the share of Android versions below 5 had fallen to ten percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/180113/umfrage/anteil-der-verschiedenen-android-versionen-auf-geraeten-mit-android-os/|title=Anteile der verschiedenen Android-Versionen an allen Geräten mit Android OS weltweit im Zeitraum 01. bis 07. Mai 2019|publisher=Statista|author=F. Tenzer|date=2019-11-14}}</ref> As [[Mobile app|app]] developers concentrate on a single [[executable|compilation]] variant, many manufacturers started to require Android 5 as the minimum version by mid 2019, for example Niantic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nau.ch/news/games/ingress-und-pokemon-go-brauchen-bald-mindestens-android-5-65541520|title=Ingress und Pokémon Go brauchen bald mindestens Android 5|author=Elia Del Favero|date=2019-06-10}}</ref> Subsequently the 32-bit versions were hard to get.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/dm6c51/why_is_32bit_01590_version_apk_still_not_available/|title=Why is 32bit 0.159.0 version apk still not available?|publisher=Reddit TheSilphRoad/|date=December 2019-12}}</ref>

Except for [[embedded systems]] with their special programs, the consideration of varying large-file support becomes obsolete in program code after 2020.

==See also==