No, that's the i386 architecture, which is still well supported AFAICT. x86_32 is a funny architecture that requires 64 bit chips but uses 32 bit pointers.
This post is about i386 / x86_32. What you're referring to is "x32," a different thing entirely, which uses the x86-64 instruction set. You can tell this post is not about "x32" because it talks about "segments, gates, and
other delights from the i386 era," which don't exist on the x86-64 architecture regardless of how long your pointers are, and it says things are "fine on a 64-bit kernel" (x32 uses a 64-bit kernel, it's a userspace ABI only).
For all x86 processors, now there is a name "X86_32" which "depends on !64BIT" (i.e. 64BIT flag has to be off).
and there is a name "X86_64" which "depends on 64BIT" (i.e. 64BIT flag being on).
Under new convention X86 is a common prefix for both 32 and 64-bit kernels for x86 processors, and the suffix _32 means the kernel uses only 32bit instructions, and _64 that it uses 64bit instructions.
And also, there's handling of an old arch name "i386" which is recognized to mean 64BIT is off and if only "x86" is seen as arch name then there is a prompt that asks 64BIT yes or no. It also notes that the old name used for kernel with 64BIT off was "i386" and the old name used for kernel with 64BIT on was "x86_64".
Finally, the support for X32 ABI (allowing running executables which use 64-bit instructions but only "short" 32bit pointers in 64-bit kernel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X32_ABI) is enabled in my 64-bit distro:
No, that’s “x32”. “x86_32” is not an official name for anything, but based on the contents of the post, I believe Andy Lutomirski is using it to refer to 32-bit x86, aka i386.
Your comment should be the top comment. I had no clue i386 and x86_32 where different. I though the article was saying 32bit linux is broken.... but no some strange "alternative" mode on linux is broken.... who cares.