Re: 2.1.42

Jeffrey Wiegley (wiegley@usc.edu)
Thu, 05 Jun 1997 10:49:47 -0700

Michael Harnois wrote:
>
> > I would suggest that support for '386s be disabled sometime soon,
> i.e.,
> > disable math emulation so that folks don't think that their old
> clunkers
> > will work with the new kernels.
>
> What *is* it with people who want to break other people's working
> setups just for grins? First we had someone who decided it was time to
> break everything that uses procps, and now this. I have a 386 with 8MB
> of memory, and an ancient 8-bit DEPCA card, happily running 2.0.30,
> dedicated to running aa0bt.ampr.org using the latest version of
> TNOS. I have no problems at all with it, and it doesn't need to be any
> faster than it is or do any more than it does. Neither you nor anyone
> else is being hurt by leaving in legend support, and some of us use
> it, thank you!
>

hear, hear! I agree. Linux should support everything possible and
continue to support it until it is no longer feasible because of kernel
advancement. Features should not be ignored or "stripped" out just
because hardly anybody uses them or because the supported device isn't
"cutting edge" or even up-to-date.

Any feature that should be removed or degraded shouldn't only be
considered in order to make new features faster/better or more
up-to-date should *not* be removed and instead should be included or
discluded from the kernel by means of a configuration option in the
kernel makefile.

I too have linux running on semi-obsolete hardware and think it does a
grand job.

- Jeff