Comment 10 for bug 1241327

This is another one of these cases where developers do not think of the consequences of their actions on the common user downstream. Sure, Mr. Langasek, ia32-libs is a "monstrosity", but users prefer a monstrosity that works for them to the technically elegant solution that you imposed on them and that only cause them pains.

Software behaviours like this one are difficult for the general public to understand. if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Or for this case: leave these ugly transitional packages in place until the last of the users no longer needs it, even if it means keeping them around for eternity. Better an eternity with ugly transitional packages, than users migrating back to Windows in frustration to software purism.

Specifically in my case, this change motivated my father-in-law to go back to Windows. An upgrade to Saucy and his Canon printer stopped working. Who is at fault for this?

Of course you will point your finger at Canon. My in-law does not care. He needs a working printer and so this Christmas I found that my work weaning him off Windows has been thwarted by this change. Worse: when I tried to get things working again (and I am tenacious and have a little bit of Linux experience under my belt), I wasted four hours, managed to make it work on my laptop, but not on his desktop. Probably because on my laptop there were some i386 libraries installed previously. Go figure which ones.

By leaving us users out in the cold like this, you lose us!