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> The 32-bit x86 architecture is nearly 40 years old - should it be retired for being too old? I’m sure there is some way to gather architectural usage numbers
by jorvi 3y ago
> The 32-bit x86 architecture is nearly 40 years old - should it be retired for being too old?
I’m sure there is some way to gather architectural usage numbers + their likelihood of upgrading, roll it into a value, and if that value drops below X, that architecture gets left behind.
The reason why I mention likelihood of upgrade is that there is a gigantic amount of MIPS routers running Linux, but virtually all of them are stuck on old kernels and very unlikely to be upgraded. I’m sure other architectures have similar snags.
- voakbasda 3y agoThey mostly run old kernels because their vendors do not keep them up to date, and the community does not have champions willing to upstream support for them. In theory it should still be entirely possible to refresh those devices with a modern kernel and user space. Patches would likely be welcomed upstream as well.