Why Linux is Finally Abandoning Your Old Input Hardware

Added: 2026-04-29

[00:00:00]You know, the Linux kernel is removing some stuff. I feel like I'm recording the same video over and over again. I just finished recording a video on this topic.

[00:00:10]The Linux kernel is still cleaning house. And now we're going to ask, are we cleaning house or is this trend accelerating of removing old stuff?

[00:00:21]This time we are referring to old input drivers. I'll expand on that shortly. It will be part of the Linux 7.1 kernel or should I say not part of it? And another 3,000 plus lines of code has been deleted. And some of these drivers realistically are at least 30 years old.

[00:00:43]So, in theory are irrelevant by today's standards.

[00:00:48]What's being removed? Now, it's not old network cards, we've done that. It's not old processor types, we've done that.

[00:00:55]It's not some obscure processor types, we've done that.

[00:01:00]It is now input devices. This is old ISA Logitech supported mouse drivers, Microsoft mouse drivers. I think you have an old PC that again has got an ISA card and you're connecting your mouse to that. Well, no more support for you.

[00:01:20]And to some old touchpads and touch screens, the Palm Top 1995 Japan machine, that's not going to work. One of the old drivers has been broken since 2015, so I can understand that. An old PS/2 OLPC or the that was the old Linux project to have low-cost OLPCs for developing nations and children. Laptop mouse interfaces as well. Things that are used by the Intel 386 and 486 systems.

[00:01:48]Goodbye.

[00:01:50]If it's between 1980 and early 2000, well, that code is going.

[00:01:58]Why I make this video? Well, more hardware is becoming obsolete while maintenance costs rise. And someone has to look after the drivers, someone has to look after the kernel, someone has to write it, someone has to update it, and it takes a lot of time and effort. And you could argue it can be used on more modern stuff.

[00:02:16]This is an accelerating trend. There's no way you can say it's not an accelerating trend in the Linux kernel, especially in 7.1. We've had three reports of this in the last couple of weeks. And valid, it's old stuff, but it does appear to be accelerating. Maybe it'll stop now, who knows.

[00:02:34]Again, they are saying it's because of AI and LLM backports making maintaining old code harder.

[00:02:42]Now, we've already lost 386, so with 486 support ending, you might as well remove some of the drivers around it. But, we need to be balanced and not emotional.

[00:02:52]Again, we're reducing technical debt. As I said earlier, use that development time for modern stuff. Simpler code bases, so they're easier to understand and debug.

[00:03:02]Less code means fewer potential security vulnerabilities. Not always, but in theory.

[00:03:09]It frees developers' time to work on new features. It can simplify testing.

[00:03:16]And it should simplify and streamline the kernel.

[00:03:22]But, what are the concerns?

[00:03:25]Older systems may lose functionality without driver support.

[00:03:29]Removals are happening faster than ever.

[00:03:32]Folks are saying the notice period of this is pretty short.

[00:03:37]Okay, you know, while we're going to remove it from a newer kernel.

[00:03:43]And it might have industrial impact, especially embedded systems that rely on old hardware.

[00:03:48]And I guess the question is should there be a longer grace period before we remove it? Like I was saying in the other videos, a lot of these are probably isolated machines and used in specific circumstances and are unlikely to get a new Linux kernel and probably stuck on the old ones.

[00:04:05]But, it is a valid point. It is a valid question to ask.

[00:04:10]What is the future?

[00:04:12]There needs to be this balance between moving forward versus supporting legacy systems. And it's always going to remain an ongoing challenge.

[00:04:19]The kernel's going to keep removing obsolete code to stay maintainable. It can't just grow into infinity.

[00:04:25]If you've got the older hardware, you're probably going to have to stick with an LTS kernel or use custom kernel branches or upgrade to something if it's possible.

[00:04:36]The there should be a an increased modernization focus. But, probably could do with some better communication timelines instead of, "Hey, it's coming in the next version." I'd be interested to know in what are your thoughts on that. I think it's safe to say that whole world of Linux being that one that's only there for the old hardware is slowly coming to an end and we just need to move forward with the times.

[00:05:03]Anyway, thanks for watching.

[00:05:05]And as always, bye for now.