From: jhb@FreeBSD.org   
      
   FreeBSD is deprecating 32-bit platforms over the next couple of major   
   releases.  We anticipate FreeBSD 15.0 will not include the armv6,   
   i386, and powerpc platforms, and FreeBSD 16.0 will not include armv7.   
   Support for executing 32-bit binaries on 64-bit kernels will be   
   retained through at least the lifetime of the stable/16 branch if not   
   longer.  (There is currently no plan to remove support for 32-bit   
   binaries on 64-bit kernels.)   
      
   More background:   
      
   Since its inception, FreeBSD has aimed to provide a stable and   
   performant general-purpose BSD-based operating system for modern and   
   widely-available systems.  Initially this took the form of focusing on   
   the i386 architecture.  Over time FreeBSD has added and removed   
   support for various architectures based on changes in the marketplace   
   (in some cases, anticipated changes in the marketplace).   
      
   The decision to remove support for an architecture in particular   
   depends on a couple of factors including both the future viability and   
   availability of systems using that architecture as well as the   
   developer resources available in the project to continue maintaining   
   support.  In addition, some changes and features may require explicit   
   support on each architecture.  Architectures that are less   
   well-maintained can degrade into a tax on such changes delaying their   
   implementation on architectures with stronger support.   
      
   Looking forward, general purpose 32-bit platforms are in a state of   
   decline in the marketplace (some more quickly than others), and we   
   have a shrinking pool of developers dedicated to supporting them.  Of   
   our existing 32-bit platforms today (i386, armv[67], powerpc), only   
   armv7 continues to be used in recent system designs.  We feel that   
   FreeBSD will be better served by narrowing the focus of our developer   
   resources on 64-bit systems moving forward.  This includes both   
   deprecating existing 32-bit platforms and not adding new 32-bit   
   platforms (e.g., FreeBSD does not plan to add a 32-bit RISC-V   
   architecture).  Support for individual 32-bit platforms may be   
   extended if there is both demand and commitment to increased developer   
   resources.   
      
   More details on the current plans for the future of 32-bit platforms   
   can be found in the "General Notes Regarding Future FreeBSD Releases"   
   section of the 14.0 release notes at   
   https://www.freebsd.org/releases/14.0R/relnotes/   
      
   On behalf of the FreeBSD Core Team,   
      
   --   
   John Baldwin   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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