Now that the Linux kernel has been removing Intel 486 CPU support and also proceeding to drop other vintage CPUs like the AMD K5 CPU support and AMD Elan, the Linux kernel is ready to make the TSC support unconditional for x86 processors...
The Linux kernel is incrementally shedding support for extremely old hardware, allowing developers to simplify the codebase and standardize on modern features like the TSC that have been ubiquitous for decades.
This move reflects the ongoing evolution of foundational software to shed legacy burdens, impacting the maintainability and performance of the world's most widely used operating system kernel.
Older x86 CPUs without TSC support will no longer be compatible with future Linux kernel versions, though such hardware is already practically obsolete.
- · Linux kernel developers
- · Modern x86 CPU manufacturers
- · Developers targeting modern Linux environments
- · Users of ancient x86 hardware
- · Embedded systems dependent on extremely old CPUs
The Linux kernel codebase becomes slightly leaner and potentially more performant on contemporary hardware.
It reinforces the obsolescence of very old hardware, potentially nudging remaining niche users towards upgrades.
This simplification could free up developer resources to focus on new features and optimizations relevant to current and future compute architectures.
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Read at Phoronix