Linux Kernel Floppy Driver Gets First Update in Three Years – What Changed?
The Linux kernel’s floppy‑disk driver received its first maintenance update in three years, submitted by Intel engineer Andy Shevchenko, who removed an unused CROSS_64KB macro, replaced a custom SZ_64K constant, and alphabetically reordered headers, thereby cutting redundant code and improving readability for legacy systems still relying on floppy storage.
Although floppy‑disk technology is largely obsolete, the Linux kernel still ships a driver for it because certain legacy hardware—such as older Boeing 747‑400 aircraft—continues to depend on floppy media for data updates.
After a three‑year gap, Intel engineer Andy Shevchenko contributed a maintenance patch that cleans up the driver code. The changes include deleting the unused CROSS_64KB() macro from arch/code, replacing the custom SZ_64K constant with a standard definition, and sorting header includes alphabetically.
These modifications reduce redundant code, eliminate duplicate constant definitions, and make the source easier to read and maintain, which is valuable for future developers who may need to support the remaining floppy‑based systems.
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