INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
It's not the first time Torvalds has suggested dropping support for 32-bit processors and relieving kernel developers from implementing
archaic emulation and work-around solutions
"We got rid of i386 support back in 2012
Maybe it's time to get rid of i486 support in 2022," Torvalds wrote in October 2022
Failing major changes to the 6.15 kernel, which will likely arrive late this month, i486 support will be dropped.Where does that leave
people running a 486 system for whatever reason? They can run older versions of the Linux kernel and Linux distributions
They might find recommendations for teensy distros like MenuetOS, KolibriOS, and Visopsys, but all three of those require at least a Pentium
They might get away with the OS/2 descendant ArcaOS
There are some who have modified Windows XP to run on 486 processors, and hopefully, they will not connect those devices to the
Internet.Really, though, if you're dedicated enough to running a 486 system in 2025, you're probably resourceful enough to find copies of
the software meant for that system
