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Linux Ditches 37-Year-Old Tech
7 Apr
Summary
- Linux kernel 7.1 drops support for the 37-year-old Intel 486 processor.
- Maintaining legacy support costs development time for newer features.
- Impact is negligible, affecting few users and distros like Tiny Core.
Linux kernel version 7.1 marks the end of an era, as it will no longer support Intel's 486 processor. This chip, originally launched in 1989, has been obsolete since 1993 and fully discontinued by 2007. Maintainers, including Linus Torvalds, have pushed for this change, citing the unnecessary cost of maintaining compatibility glue for hardware used by very few.
Ingo Molnar, a key kernel contributor, highlighted that this effort could be better spent on developing newer features. This move also affects 486-compatible chips from AMD and Cyrix. The practical impact of this decision is expected to be minimal, as most modern Linux distributions have higher system requirements, and even lightweight distros recommend significantly more RAM than a 486 system could handle.
Distributions like Tiny Core Linux, which could run on a 486, will likely see minor effects, though some extensions are already compiling only for i586 compatibility. Users still needing to run a 486 will have to rely on older Linux kernels or alternative operating systems like FreeDOS.
