29 Aug
2011
29 Aug
'11
11:43 a.m.
On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 2:23 PM, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
Will any current linux version run on an 80386
processor? I was under the
distinct impression that they don't (in fact they may not even run on an
80486).
While the instruction set may still be 80386-compatible (for the i386
modules, naturally), I think the problem with pre-Pentium machines and
modern Linux distros is more an issue of motherboard chipsets and
memory limitations.
For a specific example, I'm still running RedHat 9 on an old Dell CPi
laptop because its max memory is 256MB. I don't think I could take an
Ubuntu 10.04 install disk and bring it up on that hardware.
The amount of RAM available on tiny devices like SheevaPlugs and
consumer-grade routers, etc. , rivals or exceeds that of desktop
systems from 1991. The inertia in kernel development is unlikely to
specifically exempt the features of an 80386 or 80486, but
distribution and packaging can quite easily overwhelm the maximum
amount of memory one can stuff in those boards.
-ethan