Linux 6.15 to Drop Support for 486 and Early Pentium Processors

2025-05-08
Linux 6.15 to Drop Support for 486 and Early Pentium Processors

The Linux kernel is about to reach a significant milestone: Linux 6.15 will drop support for the 486 and early Pentium processors. This decision stems from the fact that these processors are practically obsolete in modern systems, and maintaining compatibility consumes valuable development resources. While this means some ancient systems won't run the latest Linux kernel, it will simplify the kernel code, improve performance, and reduce maintenance overhead. For most users, this change will be completely transparent, as 486 processors have long since faded into history.