Google to stop supporting 32-bit Linux, Ubuntu Precise, Debian 7 by March 2016

Google announced Monday that it would cut its Chrome support for 32-bit Linux, Ubuntu Precise (12.04), Debian 7 (wheezy) by March 2016.

Venture Beat reported that the company said the move would allow it "to provide the best experience for the most-used Linux versions." Google will give regular Chrome updates, as well as security patches for people who are still using these operating systems under a period of four months. Beyond that, the browser may still work, but it will be limited to the March release of the version.

Google Technical Staff Dirk Pranke said Chrome can still function on the older platforms, but they will no longer get updates and security fixes.

For people who love Chrome, PC World recommended installing Chromium from the repositories of the user's Linux distribution as Chrome is based on the Chromium source code. It will still support the 32-bit Linux system, which means it will still receive updates. It's typically the same besides not having certain features like MP3 media, H.254 support, and integrated Flash plug in.

There are other Linux browsers besides Chromium, like Mozilla's Firefox, which can support multiple platforms.

According to Beta News Linux-based OS may bring new features to old hardware, but without the 64-bit processors, these computers are almost considered obsolete. The article suggested users to move on and buy newer powerful machines, which can be obtained for a few hundred dollars.

"We intend to continue supporting the 32-bit build configurations on Linux to support building Chromium," said Google. "If you are using Precise, we'd recommend that you to upgrade to Trusty."

Google's move of cutting off support for older, less-popular OSs is to make development of its browser easier and to encourage users to upgrade their OSs. Users should move to the new Linux 64-bit version, Ubuntu's 15.10 Wily Werewolf, Debian 8, with the code name Jessie.