The IA64 architecture used by Intel's Itanium processors may soon be removed from the Linux kernel. The instruction set architecture was developed by Hewlett-Packard and Intel for use in 64-bit Itanium processors, but it has never gained popularity and is currently unused and unmaintained. The Linux kernel developers have discussed removing support for the architecture, but a Debian maintainer has stepped forward and offered to salvage the architecture.
Unmaintained IA64 Linux Kernel Causes Concern
According to Arm's lead software developer Ard Biesheuvel, the IA64 version of the Linux kernel is unmaintained. The architecture has not been used for a month and appears to be broken. Biesheuvel has proposed that the community consider removing IA64 support altogether, a suggestion that has the support of Linux author Linus Torvalds.
Linux Developers Consider Dropping IA64 Support
The Linux kernel developers have discussed dropping support for the Itanium/IA64 architecture used by Intel's 64-bit Itanium processors. The architecture has never been popular and is currently unmaintained. While some developers have proposed removing support for the architecture, Debian maintainer John Paul Adrian Glaubitz has stepped forward and offered to salvage the architecture.
Itanium Architecture Never Gains Popularity
The Intel Itanium architecture, which uses the IA64 instruction set, was developed for use in 64-bit Itanium processors. However, the architecture has never gained popularity, and Intel stopped developing it in 2004. The Linux kernel supported the architecture due to the emergence of third-party users, but support has since become unmaintained.
Debian Maintainer Offers to Salvage IA64 Support
Debian maintainer John Paul Adrian Glaubitz has offered to salvage the IA64 architecture used by Intel's Itanium processors. Glaubitz has the time to maintain the architecture and also has an Itanium server for testing and remote booting. The offer comes as the Linux kernel developers consider removing support for the architecture due to it being unmaintained and unused.
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