To be fair, not every Linux distro works the same. It has been a while since I setup Apache but there used to be quite a difference in configuration between Fedora derived distros and Debian derived distros for example.
LeFantome
joined 2 years ago
Got it. I was not familiar with this Linux Foundation initiative. Very cool.
It looks like they support the LTS kernels as an extension of Debian. So, kernel 6.12 will get 10 years of support after Debian Trixie launches with it this summer.
That means 486 will be fully supported until at least mid 2035. Amazing.
As somebody that offered a “correction”, I can assure you that I did not downvote.
The Linux kernel still supports Pentium but most Linux distros do not. The only two I can think of are Adelie and Gentoo. Nothing based on Debian does (Pentium Pro minimum).
There are still ATMs running OS/2 and probably lots of POS systems running DOS.
The latest kernels still work on 486 - kernel 6.14 currently.
What does the age of the hardware have to do with it?
You can run a 486 today with the latest Linux kernel, the latest C library, and the latest utilities. A 486 is not vulnerable to Spectre and Meltdown. It may be more secure than a typical i7.
Come to think of it. Acting as a bastion server may be a legitimate use of a 486 today.
The NVIDIA problems are historical.
You will notice the people that actually have NVIDIA cards all say NVIDIA works.
The people saying NVIDIA does not work are all using AMD. They may have owned NVIDIA in the past and there may have been issues. But those issues have been resolved.
NVIDIA is fine.
There were real issues with NVIDIA. They have been resolved.
That said, when something is “fixed” in Linux, it comes to different distros at different times. Some distros will get the fixes almost immediately. Others will not see them for 2 - 3 years. As we are within that window, how well NVIDIA works depends on what distro you use.
If you use an up-to-date distro like something Arch based (maybe EndeavourOS), things work well. Even fairly current distros like those that are Fedora based should be fine at this point. However, if you use something that moves a little shower, like Mint or especially Debian, you may still have problems with NVIDIA today.
AMD has worked well on Linux for many years and so it is a reliable choice regardless of distro.
Don’t forget that Intel exists as well. At the low to mid-end, they represent good value. They have good Linux support.
GNOME mostly abandons their old apps. However, in some cases, the Xapps project has taken over these older code bases.
https://linuxmint-developer-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/xapps.html
It should say 486DX or better as NetBSD requires an FPU.
But apparently somebody has been working on SoftFPU support and they just released a first version a week ago!
https://github.com/mezantrop/i486SX_soft_FPU?tab=readme-ov-file
Very impressive. The M1 Macs at least seem to be quite functional at this point and everything either has been or is in the process of hitting the mainline.
Lots of work to do of course but many would have bet against getting this far. But there is a big difference between “could be better” and “stuff doesn’t work”. Getting the Rust based GPU driver into the kernel is a major achievement on its own and may do a lot to silence the “Rust isn’t used for anything real in the kernel” crowd as well.
With all the recent drama, I think some assumed the project was on the ropes. But the updates on the M2 and the reduced support burden of their past work leave me pretty hopeful that good progress will continue.