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Go Retro in Order to Build a Spectre and Meltdown-Proof x86 Desktop

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday January 10 2018, @01:04AM   Printer-friendly
from the found-at-the-bottom-of-the-closet dept.

"MrPlow" writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

[Yeo Kheng Meng] had a question: what is the oldest x86 processor that is still supported by a modern Linux kernel? Furthermore, is it actually possible to use modern software with this processor? It's a question that surely involves experimentation, staring into the bluescreen abyss of BIOS configurations, and compiling your own kernel. Considering Linux dropped support for the 386 in 2012, the obvious answer is a 486. This supposition was tested, and the results are fantastic. You can, indeed, install a modern Linux on an ancient desktop.

Source: https://hackaday.com/2018/01/07/go-retro-to-build-a-spectre-and-meltdown-proof-x86-desktop/

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday January 11 2018, @06:59AM (1 child)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Thursday January 11 2018, @06:59AM (#620828) Journal

    The takeway is that there is no escape. It will all be vulnerable. It is better to react and defend, unless it's just for fun and the risks are small and costs are negligble.

    We'll end up with some neuromorphic + quantum chips in PCs and phones mounting an active defense against intrusion. Or just becoming a more dynamic and interesting way to pwn the system.

    The good news is that the desire for convenience and riskiness of technology means humans will continue to be employed for at least a couple of decades more.

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  • (Score: 2) by Hyperturtle on Thursday January 11 2018, @07:22PM

    by Hyperturtle (2824) on Thursday January 11 2018, @07:22PM (#621048)

    I've been wondering if the transition to mostly robot manufacturing and mining and even cars takes place, who has been planning on how to deal with the resultant loss of revenue because of people that can no longer afford to buy the products being manufactured? We're not at that tipping point, but some industries are closer to it than others.

    They can't keep raising the prices of stuff that isn't selling in order to meet their profit projections -- eventually, people with money have to buy stuff to make those robots worth the price of not ever being a consumer and never contributing to a tax base.

    But I bet if we pooled our resources and made a bitcoin mining robot that was outsourced--we'd make millions!