this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2026
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Linux 7.2 finally cuts off ancient x86 fallback code (unknownuniverse.uk)
submitted 3 days 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 5 points 2 days ago (2 children)

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 1 day ago (1 children)

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 0 points 1 day 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 day ago (2 children)

Industrial machine controllers frequently run on ancient hardware

[–] mabeledo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

And they are very notoriously outdated in terms of software.

[–] smaximov@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Do they run the latest Linux kernel?