[2020-03-29 16:25:48 +0100] Filipe Laíns via arch-dev-public:
What I would for us to do is to create a x86-64-axv2, etc. that would complement x86-64. We would not add it as a target for all packages, just for the ones that make sense.
For this pacman would have to support architecture priority. We could have something like this:
Architecture = x86-64-axv2 x86-64
I'd like to say why not but everything remains to be done, here. Whereas pacman and our toolchain have mature support for multiple architectures, and they have it today.
My point here is that to me it does not really make sense to drop support for older CPUs. We will have little benefit in newer CPUs.
Nothing is being dropped. Every CPU that does not support the new architecture can keep running the x86_64 packages they currently do.
Then automate it? Is there any reason why we can't have the tooling build all architectures for us? Why not have an `extra-build` helper that will call extra-$arch-build for all every architecture?
That would be awesome but the tooling does not yet exist. Personally I do not consider it terribly bothersome to build packages for multiple architectures like we did for i686 and x86_64. And I think it would be preferable to introduce a new architecture tomorrow than wait a few more months in the hope someone implements your proposed scheme. Cheers. -- Gaetan