Linux kernel set to shed 247,000 lines by dropping obsolete 32-bit ARM platforms

Linux kernel maintainer Arnd Bergmann has proposed a branch called board-remove-7.3 that would eliminate approximately 247,000 lines of code from the kernel source tree. The removal targets deprecated 32-bit ARM platforms — including Footbridge, OMAP24xx, i.MX31, and STM32 ports — along with device drivers that exclusively served those platforms. Around 55,000 lines belong to the platform code itself, while the remaining roughly 192,000 lines are drivers that have no remaining hardware to support. The platforms were formally deprecated in Linux 7.3, following standard kernel practice of announcing removal in advance, with Linux 7.5 considered the most likely release for the change to land. Developers maintaining products on these chips are advised to audit their kernel configs now and consider migrating to supported hardware, staying on a long-term stable kernel, or carrying the code as an out-of-tree patch set.