Linux kernel drops support for Intel 486 processors

Linux kernel maintainers are officially removing support for the Intel 486 processor, starting with version 7.1. This decision reflects the negligible number of users still relying on this decades-old hardware for modern operating systems. Developers argue that maintaining compatibility for such ancient chips consumes valuable time that could be better spent on current advancements. While a few niche distributions like Tiny Core Linux still offered support, even those communities acknowledge the practical obsolescence of the 486. Users needing to run vintage systems will still be able to utilize older kernel versions.