Rust Demotes 32-bit Windows Targets to Standard Library Only
Rust is demoting its 32-bit Windows targets to standard library only, requiring cross-compilation from a supported host toolchain.
Summary
The Rust programming language is demoting its 32-bit Windows targets, i686-pc-windows-msvc and i686-pc-windows-gnu, to standard library only. This means that host tools such as the compiler will no longer be available for these targets. Instead, developers will need to cross-compile from a supported host toolchain, such as a 64-bit Windows toolchain. This change is due to the decreasing availability of 32-bit Windows development platforms and the difficulties encountered in building i686 Windows toolchains.
Changes to 32-bit Windows Targets
- i686-pc-windows-msvc target is demoted from Tier 1 with host tools to Tier 1 without host tools
- i686-pc-windows-gnu target is demoted from Tier 2 with host tools to Tier 2 without host tools
- Host tools such as the compiler will no longer be available for these targets
- Cross-compilation from a supported host toolchain is required to build 32-bit Windows binaries
Why it matters
This change will affect developers who rely on 32-bit Windows targets for their Rust projects, requiring them to adapt to cross-compilation from a supported host toolchain.
Original reference: blog.rust-lang.org →