Arnd Bergmann, responsible for kernel packages at SUSE, has made a second attempt to clean up the Linux kernel by removing code that supports legacy ARM platforms that are not widely used and hinder the support of current subsystems. The initial attempt was made in August 2024, but progress was halted. However, kernel developers agreed to carry out the cleanup in 2025 or 2026 after the formation of corresponding LTS branches. In the latest set of patches, Arnd provided updated information and added warnings to configuration files regarding the deprecation of certain platforms. It is proposed to eliminate these platforms in kernel version 7.4, expected to be released in early 2027.
The following items are scheduled for removal:
- All board support files that have not yet been converted to use the Device Tree structure, with an exception made for OMAP1 and S3C platforms (ARCH_S3C64XX).
- Support for the extended iWMMXt instruction set.
- ARMv6/ARM1136r0 architecture.
- Microcontrollers based on Cortex-M3/M4/M7 processors.
- LSI Axxia platforms.
- NWFPE, OABI floating point emulator, and OABI compatibility mode.
- Pre-ATAGS param_struct structure.
Support for BE8 mode ARMv7 is marked as broken, while support for the big-endian variant of ARMv5 remains. These decisions are subject to change based on user needs and future developments.
In addition, in Linux kernel version 7.3, the file system EFS is intended to be removed. EFS was utilized in early versions of the IRIX OS but has been obsolete for about 30 years and has not been maintained for over 20 years. Users who still require access to EFS partitions can utilize utilities that operate in user space.