Gadgetts

Tag: linux

  • HarmonyOS PCs Get a Major Boost as Linux Tools Now Run Natively

    HarmonyOS PCs Get a Major Boost as Linux Tools Now Run Natively

    Thanks to a new tool, Huawei announced today that HarmonyOS laptops may now run Linux-based programs and tools natively. This is significant news for its in-house computer operating system since it gives developers more options.

    Huawei launched the Converged Development Engine in the HarmonyOS PC AppGallery on April 1. The 1.0.0.17 version is in the preview zone.

    This tool’s best feature is that it enables Huawei HarmonyOS laptops to directly execute Linux-based tools, services, and applications without the need for complicated technology.

    Developers are currently able to experiment with the Converged Development Engine and run “Linux environments” on the HarmonyOS PC.

    A customized, useful workspace built on the Linux operating system is referred to as a “Linux environment.” It consists of the OS, the home screen interface, and utilities. GNOME, KDE, and a command-line configuration for servers are additional user features.

    Converged Development Engine

    The following features will be available to developers after the HarmonyOS PC’s Converged Development Engine has been installed:

    “The Fusion Development Engine is a lightweight virtualization development environment that makes Linux development as smooth as native applications. No complicated configuration is required. It starts with a single click, allowing developers to directly run Linux environments (including most command-line tools, applications, etc.” – Huawei

  • End of an era: Linux begins removing Intel 486 support after 37 years

    End of an era: Linux begins removing Intel 486 support after 37 years

    In terms of current Linux, it could be time to retire your 37-year-old Intel 486 system because OS kernel developers seem to have begun to remove support for this venerable CPU. According to Phoronix, fixes intended for the Linux 7.1 kernel appear to have verified the change. In order to get a few more years out of the platform, people who still treasure their 486 PCs and use them to run a recent version of Linux should probably make sure they run one of the current Linux LTS kernels. As an alternative, they might upgrade to a Pentium or perhaps one of the top CPUs on the market in 2026.

    It should come as no surprise that 486 support has been patched out. First of all, it is outdated—the first examples were published in 1989—and contemporary Linux distributions are becoming increasingly resource-hungry. Second, Linus Torvalds, the man behind Linux, has hinted that 486 support would be discontinued. According to the Linux tycoon, there is “zero real justification” to keep supporting the 486 CPU. He even said that it was harmful to upstream Linux kernel development efforts to continue supporting it.

    intel 486 support linux

    However, developer Ingo Molnar is likely to be remembered as the gallowsman. According to Phoronix, Molnar wrote a patch “that first takes rid of the CONFIG_M486SX, CONFIG_M486, and CONFIG_MELAN Kconfig build option.” It essentially indicates in code that the 486 is on borrowed time.

    “In the x86 architecture we have various complicated hardware emulation facilities on x86-32 to support ancient 32-bit CPUs that very very few people are using with modern kernels,” commented Molnar in a note accompanying the patch. “

    Sometimes, this compatibility glue even causes issues that people have to spend time fixing when they could be doing other things. Then, in order to remind readers who signed the death certificate for the 486, he restated some of Torvald’s comments.

    We are confident that using outdated Intel 486 PCs will continue to be enjoyable and even productive. For instance, we reported earlier this year that an open-source 486 motherboard was created from the ground up and passed compatibility tests for Linux, DOS, Doom, and other operating systems.