Comment on Linux kernel maintainers are following through on removing Intel 486 support
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 19 hours agoI get that, but how many people are still running a 486 without a bespoke use case in 2026? The older kernels still work, and no software targeting the 486 architecture is relying on the latest Linux kernel.
cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 17 hours ago
As long as the PC isn’t being connected to the internet, there’s no reason you can’t just keep running an old kernel.
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 17 hours ago
Even if it is connected, you can keep running an old kernel.
djsaskdja@reddthat.com 15 hours ago
You can, but it’s a bad idea. Pretty major security risk.
yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de 2 hours ago
Is it?
Just use Linux 6.12 with LTS until 2029 and Super LTS until 2036.
Powderhorn@beehaw.org 15 hours ago
What are you running on a 486 these days that needs to be online? A pihole? Like, even if this is a CNC controller or vinyl cutter (if you need a dongle to run your output, this is a valid concern; not a lot of parallel ports hanging out on mobos these days), the internet is not required.
TehPers@beehaw.org 13 hours ago
What kind of security risk are you at running a 486? You can barely handle the TLS handshake. Modern malware would just brick your system the same way any other modern software would.