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Debian can run on any i386 compatible device. That's 25+ years of support for general computing devices. If phones had followed a similar open architecture as
by dleslie 5y ago
Debian can run on any i386 compatible device. That's 25+ years of support for general computing devices.
If phones had followed a similar open architecture as PCs then they might have enjoyed such support, as well.
- my123 5y agoNo not anymore, the Linux kernel even doesn’t support the 80386 at this point. i386 is kept as the arch name, but the baseline has went up. Jessie needs at least a Pentium, and Stretch needs an i686.
- dleslie 5y agoThere's still NetBSD and FreeDOS.
- md_ 5y agoThat's a fair point. I don't think the issue is that open source software has fewer dead ends--it's easy to adopt an open source tool that later loses critical mass--but rather that proprietary hardware+software combinations result in a distinctly frustrating outcome of "my hardware still works, but the software is no longer supported".