Updating Chromium 32-bit version or should I switch to 64-bit system with newer browser?

Strange request…
I do some work for the local priest, some 6 years back I gave him a tower computer with linux mint mate running 32 bits, mainly as it was an old stock machine and not capable of better. 2 years later it died so I replaced it but just transfered the hard disk from the old machine to his newer computer.
Why,?
he had all his files, images etc on. But mainly his emails which he could not remember passwords for, same with his sites he uses for research. Easy option for me than resetting all his passwords.

Now when using facebook any videos (shorts) just come up in red and dont play on chromium as that is the 32 bit version.
There are no updates on this version.

Simple solution was to get him to just use firefox as that plays fine, videos, mail etc. But I suspect its just a short term solution…

Checked the chromium site and can no longer find and 32 bit updates, suggestions please.

Other option is to replace 32 bit with 64 bit mint and transfer all his things across, which I may end up doing. Resetting all his passwords in the process.

One issue is the speed, he is on copper adsl line which is not wonderful, fibre is comming but not quickly in to his apartment area of the village.

Which would be better for speed ?
Lmde or xfce ?
Using google chrome on either would it make a difference

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It sounds like you are flogging a dead horse.

If cost is a matter, maybe a refurb is feasible?

Neither, you get what you pay for, software doesn’t dictate speed.

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You mean lmde with its default DE, versus lmde with xfce?
Not much diference in speed.
Your problem is hardware speed.

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That’s surprising - I’m sure the Pi Foundation are still doing 32 bit armhf Chromium…

I wonder if you can get a later version i386/i686 DEB file from a debian repo?

I also found this PPA (I wouldn’t do it myself) : Chromium - web browser (Xenial & newer) : Rob Savoury

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What i did forget to check was the amount of memory in the machine, think its 4 gb but perhaps change to 8 with debian mint.

He only uses it for research, writing articles but not much more. As usual not much money which appears normal in his position.

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Why Chrome? What is wrong with Firefox?
He does not do anything sophisticated.
I think go to 64 bit if the hardware supports it… you will get better package support in future with 64 bit.

No problem with firefox, transfered all his favourite and passwords so he is happy.

I prefer to have 2 browsers on a system just for safety if one stops working and i cannot get to see him to solve the problems quickly.

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Good idea. Waterfox would do but needs 64 bit.

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Its the same for your tablet, forced to upgrade or throw away. Yes 64 bit has been around for 20 years so no real reason for 32 bit but hate to stop using one machine and make it obsolète

Void still has 32 bit downloads… there’s a challenge

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Another distro with strong 32 bit support is Antix.
It uses IceWM which looks like a cut-down Xfce.
Antix has a reputation for good Wifi support.

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For the moment he is happy with firefox so will revisit in a few weeks as I may have found a supplier of older machines in a local company who are upgrading to windows 11 and rejecting the older computers, rather than scrap them I hope to get them donated hence recycled to linux by me for free.

There should be more of that.
With the number of defunct Win machines around we could flood the market with free hardware and software.

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The difficulty for me is finding them and getting donations, most will end up in a cupboard and companies worry about data theft

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I think the value of company data is grossly exaggerated.
It is only peoples personal records that need to be protected. They should have been encrypted anyway.

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Sorry to disagree but imagine costing system, sales or client records, all the acounting systems , manufacture design and development, passwords…

When I collect a older machine, I always promise to destroy data on the hard disk, format it and then install linux so no easy way back for recovery… ok someone with technical skills may do so, but all mine go to people who are struggling financially and just happy to have a replacement and do there own thing.

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Most of that is accounting nonsense.
Surely they can protect industrial secrets… like clean them out when the computer is ditched.
They do still have managers dont they? … or is all that outsourced ?
Strange world.

I had enough trouble trying to get my Organization to preserve scientific data, without worrying about IP legaleze or classified secrets or money nonsense.

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Sadly no they spend hours transfering the data, setting up the new system links etc, the older ones just get put to one side forgotten on the to do list. Last batch I got after a sale of a local wine business the new owner wanted a clean out, there were several 386 windows 3 machines, sadly not worth doing anything with. Disk and memory so old, small and slow.

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Have you used DBAN?
It takes a long time, but it is securely wiped.

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Thanks for the link, never seen that one before.

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