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Linux 7.2 finally cuts off ancient x86 fallback code (unknownuniverse.uk)
submitted 1 week ago by cm0002@literature.cafe to c/linux@programming.dev
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Linux 7.2 has landed, dragging x86 timing clean out of the nineties by making the Time Stamp Counter mandatory.

I wrote up a quick article on why ditching those ancient legacy fallbacks is good housekeeping, plus a few other bits like cache-aware scheduling and memory tweaks worth noting.

Is anyone still using legacy hardware? If so, what do you use it for?

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[-] mabeledo@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

There are LTS versions outside of current.

But more importantly, who runs anything remotely critical on a 486 these days? These machines choke to death on TLS handshakes.

[-] refalo@programming.dev 0 points 6 days ago

Who said anything about critical?

I just don't want my hard disk wiped when I decide to try a piece of software.

[-] mabeledo@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I just don’t want my hard disk wiped when I decide to try a piece of software.

You aren't running any relatively recent software on a 486, period. Even if you did and it turned out to be a virus, the chances of it hitting a bug in the kernel are extremely low.

This is just grasping at straws.

[-] jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 week ago

Industrial machine controllers frequently run on ancient hardware

[-] smaximov@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Do they run the latest Linux kernel?

[-] mabeledo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

And they are very notoriously outdated in terms of software.

this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2026
123 points (98.4% liked)

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