In a way, a historical moment is approaching, as Linux will most likely discontinue support for the 80486 processors by the end of this year.
The Register reported around Easter how changes have already been accepted into the Linux 7.1 codebase, which will remove support for the 486 processor family from the Linux kernel (kernel).
The change does not affect a very large audience, and Linux's lead maintainer Linus Torvalds has himself stated that 486 support is no longer "very relevant" in the 2020s.
Intel unveiled the 80486 processor family in 1989, and it dominated the PC market for several years until its successor, the Pentium, was unveiled. Intel itself manufactured 486-based processors until 2007.
The 486 was also a significant processor for PC technology, in that during its era, Intel saw the emergence of the first serious competitors manufacturing so-called clone x86 processors - including companies like AMD and Cyrix.
The last time support for an entire processor family was removed from the Linux kernel was back in 2012, when support for the i486's predecessor, the 80386, was discontinued.
The change does not affect a very large audience, and Linux's lead maintainer Linus Torvalds has himself stated that 486 support is no longer "very relevant" in the 2020s.
Intel unveiled the 80486 processor family in 1989, and it dominated the PC market for several years until its successor, the Pentium, was unveiled. Intel itself manufactured 486-based processors until 2007.
The 486 was also a significant processor for PC technology, in that during its era, Intel saw the emergence of the first serious competitors manufacturing so-called clone x86 processors - including companies like AMD and Cyrix.
The last time support for an entire processor family was removed from the Linux kernel was back in 2012, when support for the i486's predecessor, the 80386, was discontinued.
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