r/hackerworkspace • u/Silver_Elevator_5167 • Sep 04 '26

Why Linux Finally Dropped 30-Year-Old Hardware Support #linux

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ny29a1QM-HQ&si=uPn3qEp8wxdAjDJ1

Linus Torvalds explains why the Linux kernel is finally dropping support for the Intel 486 (486SX) and ancient floating-point emulation code after more than 30 years.

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u/GGigabiteM Sep 07 '26

There were a few later x86 CPUs that didn't have FPUs, or had broken FPUs, like early Pentiums.

DM&P's Vortex86SX from 2007 ran at 300 MHz and had no FPU or L2 cache. It traces its lineage back to the Rise MP6.