[gentoo-user] Going to multilib

[Etaoin Shrdlu <shrdlu@unlimitedmail.org>]

Ok, so I have some apps that require 32 bit libraries, but I'm currently using 
a no-multilib profile.

This page

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/gentoo-amd64-faq.xml

says:

"Warning: Currently you cannot switch from a no-multilib to a multilib-enabled 
profile, so think over your decision twice before you use the no-multilib 
profile." 

Now, I know that I can install most of the emul-linux-x86-* stuff and that 
will probably be enough for me, but I was wondering what the technical 
problems iwould be if I just changed my /etc/make.profile to point to a 
multilib profile. As far as I can tell, gcc and glibc would be rebuilt with 
USE=multilib, and a new set of libraries would be installed into /lib32 and 
/usr/lib32 (in addition to those already installed under the corresponding 
lib64 locations). So, how would that break the existing applications?

Thanks for any insight.