Summary
- Linux kernel actively supports Sega Dreamcast hardware, with specific Dreamcast-targeted code.
- Linux 7.2 RC3 merges a patch fixing Maple input crashes: mouse, keyboard, and joystick driver ordering bug.
- Legacy hardware stays supported as long as contributors care; otherwise, features get dropped.
The funny thing about following Linux development is that you learn the kernel is compatible with more hardware than you originally thought. And I’m not talking about the kernel happening to work well with specific devices, but about specific code within Linux that targets them.
For instance, did you know that the Linux kernel has code that helps it run on the Dreamcast? Not only that, but it’s actively being developed, with a new patch coming in Linux 7.2 that fixes some crashes.
Using Linux on the Sega Dreamcast is getting easier with version 7.2
The kernel is still in testing
As spotted by Tom’s Hardware, a new patch has been merged into Linux 7.2’s third release candidate build. These release candidate builds are an essential way for the public to test new Linux builds and submit bug reports before it’s released into the wild, and they usually go for around 10 builds before it’s done.
A developer called Dmitry Torokhov has spotted a few bugs with handling Sega Dreamcast inputs in Linux 7.2, so they coded up a solution to resolve them. Here are the patch notes:
A fix for a crash in Sega Dreamcast (Maple) mouse driver when opening the device, caused by missing driver data.
Fixes for Maple drivers (keyboard, mouse, joystick) to properly order setting driver data and device registration to avoid races.
As long as someone is working to support Linux development on legacy hardware, it will keep going until it’s abandoned. For instance, we saw Linux 7.1 drop i486 support because there was a lot of dev work going into something people just weren’t realistically using. As long as someone wants to keep Tux running on the Sega Dreamcast, there will always be support for it.
