Yes, x-compiling is certainly an option, particularly since developers typically have access to hardware easily capable of such (it's just a minor pain to set-u

Yes, x-compiling is certainly an option, particularly since developers typically have access to hardware easily capable of such (it's just a minor pain to set-up). Linux has always favored support for currently (and in the foreseeable future) relevant architectures over widest possible spread. I don't quite understand the desire to run recent software on museums piece hardware, but for those who must, there's NetBSD.