this post was submitted on 10 Apr 2026
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Linux

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[–] Sunshine@piefed.zip 20 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Linux looking at Mac users being impressed with 8 years of software support.

Ha that’s cute.

[–] lung@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Well how you gonna buy a new Mac if you could get security patches for your old device

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You telling me I can install Bazzite on a 486?

Your typical Arch install? Steam OS? Ubuntu?

[–] ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] Feyter@programming.dev 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Exactly! Just because there is support for a stone age CPU in the Linux Kernel, doesn't mean every single modern Linux compatible software is running smoothly on this.

Of course, from the Mac/Windows point of view it was the correct thing to ditch such old stuff. Because they are concerned about having a stable product that is running on modern hardware. Keeping this old stuff in, makes it more complicated to maintain their system and therefore more suspectable to errors.

Linux could only keep this support up for so long, because somewhere there where people that though it would be worth care about for 28 years. And even now it's not over. You can modify the kernel and patch 486 support back in again on your own. So "incomparability" doesn't really exist with a open system. It's just that nobody at the core kernel team will do this service for you anymore.

[–] MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

Android Linux you say?

[–] Redjard@reddthat.com 6 points 2 days ago

This means continued security patches until at least end of 2027, so at the earliest these will be out of support in 2028.

Realistically this will be much longer into the future, as the LTS window of multiple LTS releases is likely to be extended more.
I'd be surprised if these go out of support before 2032

[–] carrylex@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

23 years after the first x64 CPU rolled off the assembly lines, Linux is still supporting it.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There's an ungodly insane number of old industrial control systems still banging around out there on 486 processors and custom ISA cards. It might never actually go away.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 0 points 2 days ago

Yeah but those aren't going to be running Linux 7.0. I'd be shocked if they ran anything newer than 2.6, if that new and Linux at all.

[–] darklamer@feddit.org 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This weak commitment to longevity is disappointing.

[–] carrylex@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Stop complaining and send patches instead.

[–] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm. At least, I hope it was.