For open-source operating systems there will always remain the older stable 32-bit releases like FreeBSD 16 in this case.
Even if there still are plenty of obsolete 32-bit CPUs running Linux or *BSD, since many years I have never seen a case where using them is the right technical choice.
When a UNIX-like OS is desired, it is a mistake to use anything less than a very cheap 64-bit CPU, like one with ARM Cortex-A55 cores.
For the many embedded applications where a 32-bit CPU is appropriate, either one of the many open-source RTOSes should be used or a bare-metal program, which is the best choice in many cases. For such embedded applications, a UNIX-like OS is much too bloated and it does not allow deterministic control of the hardware.
Even if there still are plenty of obsolete 32-bit CPUs running Linux or *BSD, since many years I have never seen a case where using them is the right technical choice.
When a UNIX-like OS is desired, it is a mistake to use anything less than a very cheap 64-bit CPU, like one with ARM Cortex-A55 cores.
For the many embedded applications where a 32-bit CPU is appropriate, either one of the many open-source RTOSes should be used or a bare-metal program, which is the best choice in many cases. For such embedded applications, a UNIX-like OS is much too bloated and it does not allow deterministic control of the hardware.