On Wed, 29 Jun 2022 21:42:58 +0100, Arnd Bergmann <arnd@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > With the multiplatform work completed in the past merge window, and the > scheduled deprecation of the Samsung s3c platforms, I decided to have a > look at the remaining board files. There are 196 remaining boards, down > from 489 boards ten years ago, but my estimate is that only few of those > ever booted a linux-5.x kernel, and even less for future kernels. The > question is how to find out which ones are still used, and which ones > can go. > > I would propose that we start by changing the assumption that all boards > might be used, instead assuming that they are all outdated unless someone > says that they actually prefer to keep it in the kernel. I have started > a list of all 196 boards and annotated the ones that look like candidates > for removal [1]. If a board you use is on that list, please either reply > here or add a comment in the document. > > Unless someone has a better idea for how to proceed, I would allow > six months for users to speak up and then remove the orphaned board > files for the release following the LTS kernel. I can't list all boards > individually, so here is a breakdown by platform: > [...] > pxa > > There are a ton of boards on this one, including seven with qemu support, > but based on IRC discussions, my feeling is that everyone who worked on > this has already lost interest a few years ago. There is rudimentary DT > support, so it may be helpful to pick one or two boards (gumstix?) with > good qemu support and keep them around for conversion to DT, while > removing all other boards. For the two boards I used to maintain (Zeus and Viper), I'm happy to see them go. Should anyone want to take over and bring them into this decade, I'm happy to provide the HW I still have (although getting HW was never a problem with PXA, and it probably is simply that people have, just like I did, lost interest). [...] > footbridge > > Three machines, most notably the NetWinder that a few people still have. > I assume Russell wants to keep the machines working that he still has. I still have a Netwinder that I switch on once in a while to check that it is still alive (I last booted 5.18 on it, and maintain a couple of ugly hacks to allow an old Debian to run on it). This isn't a practical machine by any modern standard, but I'd like to keep it around for the same reasons I still have an Alpha LCA4 (nostalgia). Thanks, M. -- Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.
