linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH 0/15] x86: Remove support for TSC-less and CX8-less CPUs

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Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.21.2505062228200.21337@angie.orcam.me.uk>
Date: Thu, 8 May 2025 15:51:27 +0100 (BST)
From: "Maciej W. Rozycki" <macro@...am.me.uk>
To: Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
cc: "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>, Ingo Molnar <mingo@...nel.org>, 
    linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, "Ahmed S . Darwish" <darwi@...utronix.de>, 
    Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@...rix.com>, 
    Ard Biesheuvel <ardb@...nel.org>, Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...nel.org>, 
    Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>, 
    John Ogness <john.ogness@...utronix.de>, 
    Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>, 
    Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>, 
    Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>, 
    John Paul Adrian Glaubitz <glaubitz@...sik.fu-berlin.de>
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH 0/15] x86: Remove support for TSC-less and CX8-less
 CPUs

On Tue, 6 May 2025, Borislav Petkov wrote:

> >  Doesn't work for ongoing driver maintenance
> 
> Dunno, I'd concentrate my efforts on something, a *little* *bit* more modern.
> At some point this is old rusty hw no matter from which way you look at it and
> it might as well be left to rest in its sunset days.

 One doesn't exclude the other.  I do POWER9 or RISC-V stuff too.  Isn't 
it modern enough?

> What I have problem with is wasting my time maintaining old, ancient hw which
> is not worth the electricity it needs to run. Especially if you can get
> something orders of magnitudes better in *any* aspect you can think of, and
> actually get some real work done.

 I don't want you let alone expect to waste time on anything you're not 
interested in.  I'm trying to find a solution that saves you from that 
while preferably keeping everyone happy enough, including myself.

 Real work?  I find engineering challenges enjoyable regardless of the age 
of hardware involved and I don't want to take away anyone's daily bread 
(including mine) by spending my free time on a project someone might have 
commercial interest in and should pay for.  An obsolete platform is ideal 
for this purpose.

 And what's better and what's not is subjective.  I don't find all the new 
stuff better, just as I don't all the old stuff.  At least the old gear 
tends to be sturdy (once you've contained issues with the PSU) and likely 
won't suffer from electromigration in a few years' time.  It can be easier 
to repair too if a component does fail.

 NB people also fancy old cars, or boats, or trains even, not because 
they're faster, more comfortable, or have any real advantage over modern 
alternatives.

  Maciej