Annoyances: 1) the fedora 7 x86_64 live image is slightly too big for a CD, so you have to use a DVD for about 800MB of space. The rest of the space is unused. -> annoyance #1 2) the image only works on x64 systems, so in order to have a working live-cd for all x86-pcs you have to use the 32-bit version or download both versions and carry around 2cds (or more accurate one cd and one dvd) -> annoyance #2 Solution: Put both versions in one image. As the x64-version runs a check, if the cpu supports the x64 extension it would be easy (imho, I have not much clue of programming) to just redirect to boot the x86 kernel, if the extension isn't supported instead of throwing an error. Pros: 1) you could use one DVD for both types of computers 2) the space of the DVD (that you need anyhow - see annoyance #1) would be better used. 3) the user won't have to do guesswork, if the CPU supports the x64 extension, when he downloads fedora, but can be shure that the software chooses the best possible solution Cons: 1) download size would increase (but it would surely be less than when downloading both the x64 and x86 image, as there are surely some shared libraries) Thoughts: 2) the user should also be able to choose the x86 mode even when he runs on an x64 machine
We'd need a bootloader that is smart enough to detect what arch a machine is and offer to boot the right kernel.
I don't think that this can be a big problem, as the x64-version performs a check, if the x64-extension is supported and throws an error if not. if this detection would be used to redirect to the x86 kernel and not echo an error message it would be enough. but once again: I don't know how this check is exactly done in the code, so maybe it isn't possible the way I imagine it.
This is done by the kernel itself, not the boot loader, and then it's too late to boot a different kernel.
oh ... crap. then maybe something like this could work: bootloader has x64 as default. if x64 is not supported message tells you to reboot the machine and use the x86 bootoption instead.
That's a pretty bad user experience. I think to be able to successfully do this the bootloader or pre-boot loader or whatever has to be able to tell what arch you're on and adjust to suit, instead of asking the user to reboot.
signed. But that's stuff I left for the devs to thing about how to realize it. I just had this idea, as the x64-Image wouldn't fit onto a CD and that I would have to burn it on DVD instead. I just thought: "whow, what a waste of disk space. why don't they put something useful in there, like an x86-fallback- system so I can use the DVD anywhere" and that's it. I didn't really think about how to technically implement this, let alone from user-experience p.o.v.
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Closing, this isn't on the radar for anytime soon. If someone comes up with a patch, maybe... Note that the Fedora 9 Live ISOs all fit on a CD.