this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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On the flip side, why remove support if it is not causing major maintenance problems? I bet the code for these has not needed to be touched for a long time.
that's true, it's probably very stable - but more code increases the total size of the package delivered.
Drivers are optionally compiled in Linux, if they default to off then they are not built or distributed to end users. Or if they are compiled as external modules they can be put in optional packages that most don't need to download.
But yeah, eventually it can be good to remove old stuff. But ideally only after no one else is using it. Which isbwhy they leave things in for longer periods of time.
Removing very old stuff might make it easier to change other things that are still used by other drivers. Let's say that both 3dfx and Geforce FX (2003 cards) call the same functions. Let's say that the function to display a texture has 2 different sets of code, one to deal with the older 3dfx, another for the geforce. If you no longer need to support the 3dfx, you can also remove the whole set of code it needed, possibly making things slightly faster for the rest, as it'll no longer have to check for a 3dfx card. You can also add something you couldn't before, due to the limitations of the "minimal" card expected