Linus Torvalds sees “zero real reason for anybody to waste one second” on them.

I didn’t know whether to mark this NSFW or not but it’s time to buy a new computer if you haven’t upgraded in multiple decades.

    • Vopyr@lemmy.world
      3·
      5 hours ago

      Wow, to wake up and see that a large number of people have downvoted my simple noob comment is definitely something. C’mon people, chill, I am quite new to all this stuff.

    • LeFantome@programming.dev
      19·
      16 hours ago

      Latest 486 “distro” released 3 months ago:

      https://github.com/marmolak/gray486linux

      Same userland as Alpine Linux. Newer version of MUSL than current Void Linux ships with. Up to the minute kernel.

      The oldest kernel version still getting updates at kernel.org is from 6 years ago. So, we may still have active 486 support in official kernels for years yet.

      Even after that, the kernel will stay available. You can always backport any important security fixes yourself.

      And this is just the kernel. A 486 will run current c libraries for decades most likely.

      You can still use Linux on 386 and Git commits as recent as a year ago say things like “adding support for new hardware”.

      https://github.com/marmolak/gray386linux

      Again, even on a 386 you have the same C library and userland as found in current Alpine Linux.

    • CameronDev@programming.dev
      39·
      18 hours ago

      Old kernels still run on it, it just won’t get new versions.

      The reason Linux (and BSD) is perfect for old machines is that the source code is available, so anyone can maintain it if they want to. It doesn’t mean the core Linux team has to maintain it for them though.

        • CameronDev@programming.dev
          2·
          4 hours ago

          You really got dogpiled hard there, as if being corrected half a dozen times wasn’t enough, they had to downvote you to oblivion as well :(

          • Vopyr@lemmy.world
            2·
            4 hours ago

            I don’t mind that people write that old hardware can still be used, because they are correct, but the number of downvotes breaks my heart.

    • LandedGentry@lemmy.zipEnglish
      311·
      19 hours ago

      Dude it’s been almost 20 years of support and it’s not like they brick today. If you want to run one it will still work for years.

      When was the last time you ran a 486?

    • Pogogunner@sopuli.xyz
      21·
      18 hours ago

      You could simply continue to use the older versions - with Linux, you’re not forced to update if you don’t want to. Since it’s open source, you could even continue modifying it freely. I think the people behind Linux are being a bit overkill in supporting older hardware in the most recent releases.

    • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
      11·
      19 hours ago

      You can still run perfectly good software on it. You’ll just be limited by the resources, so you’re not playing Crysis by any means.

      Just a few years ago I got a 286 up and running with Minix. It was neat, but I didn’t get as far as compiling the Ethernet driver, so I didn’t really do much with it and it eventually finished its journey to recycling.

    • 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works
      54·
      16 hours ago

      And how much have you paid for the last 18 years of support? You can continue to run Linux on old hardware, as long as you’re willing to pay for the development. 18 years is one hell of a freemium model.