Linux Kills Ancient x86 Fallbacks
unknownuniverse.uk
As Linux 7.2 makes the Time Stamp Counter mandatory, we look at why dropping legacy x86 fallback timing code is long overdue.

Linux 7.2 has landed, dragging x86 timing clean out of the nineties by making the Time Stamp Counter mandatory.

I wrote up a quick article on why ditching those ancient legacy fallbacks is good housekeeping, plus a few other bits like cache-aware scheduling and memory tweaks worth noting.

Is anyone still using legacy hardware? If so, what do you use it for?

  • Lettuce eat lettuce@lemmy.ml
    0·
    1 month ago

    If you’re using a 30+ year old computer in the modern day, you’ve already sacrificed security.

    The price and availability of a 15 year old computer is almost the same as a 30 year old computer, you can get a fully functional 1st gen i5 PC that will sprint circles around the highest end 90’s PC for $40. Honestly, most people are just e-wasting computers that old, I’m sure you could easily get them for free, hell, lots of people would pay you to take them off their hands.