Kernels Accelerate Hardware Obsolescence

Linux maintainers are actively removing support for decades‑old x86 processors (e.g., AMD K5 and other TSC‑less i586/i686 chips), making modern hardware features like the Time Stamp Counter a required boot feature. This reduces kernel complexity and maintenance cost but also forces owners of very old hardware to upgrade, fork older kernels, or be excluded from current distributions. — Shows how mundane engineering decisions by open‑source platform maintainers shape hardware lifecycles, digital inclusion, e‑waste, and the downstream politics of device sovereignty and repair.