Linux to end support for 1989’s hottest chip, the 486, with next release

The Linux kernel will leave behind two mythical families of Intel processors with the blessing of Linus Torvalds, who believes the time has come.

Linux to end support for 1989’s hottest chip, the 486, with next release

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

Linux kernel is leaving 486 CPUs behind, only 18 years after the last one made

Kevin Purdy 2025-05-09 14:55:00 arstechnica.com 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… Source

Linux kernel is leaving 486 CPUs behind, only 18 years after the last one made - WorldNL Magazine

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 peopl…

The operating system of the penguin, known for giving life even to almost museum machines, is going to leave behind one of the most veteran architectures in the history of the PC. With the arrival of the kernel 6.15, Linux definitely eliminates the support for i486 processors and a string of 586 models, also of AMD, which no longer meet the current minimum technical requirements. It is a deep cleaning that erases decades of compatibility with ch…

Work on the Linux 6.15 kernel is continuing and the team has decided to carry out a large clean-up in the code. As part of this notable change, the Linux 6.15 kernel bid farewell to the old Intel processors. The stable version will no longer support Intel 486 processors and similar processors due to their inability to meet modern performance and instruction requirements. This change removes approximately 15,000 lines of code, which allows the Li…