this post was submitted on 10 Apr 2026
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Linux

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[–] Sunshine@piefed.zip 20 points 1 week 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 1 week ago

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

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week 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 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Feyter@programming.dev 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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 1 week ago

Android Linux you say?

[–] Redjard@reddthat.com 6 points 1 week 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 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

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

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

This weak commitment to longevity is disappointing.

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

Stop complaining and send patches instead.

[–] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

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