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Plans to remove ipv4 from the linux kernel. (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 7 months ago by to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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From: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: [RFC] Remove IPv4 support from kernel, effective next merge window Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2025 10:42:00 -0700 Message-ID: <20250815-drop-ipv4@linux-foundation.org> Hey folks, After yet another deeply technical and entirely calm discussion about HRT (High-Resolution Timers) that somehow devolved into 200+ replies, personal insults, and at least one GIF of a raccoon, I have decided it’s time to take drastic measures. Effective next merge window, we will be removing IPv4 support from the kernel. This will both (a) resolve the maintainers’ scheduling disputes, and (b) force the world into the IPV6 utopia we were promised back in 1998. If you need IPv4 after this point, you can either: run an ancient kernel from before the change (good luck with the bugs), or rewrite your applications to use IPv6 and learn to love colons in your addresses. Yes, I realize this will break roughly *everything *. No, I don’t care. I have already switched all my machines to IPv6-only, except for the toaster, which unfortunately still insists on using a 192. 168. x. x address. The toaster will be replaced. If you disagree with this decision, I suggest you take it up with the HRT maintainers. But please keep it civil this time. (Or at least keep the raccoon GIFs under 1MB.) - Linus

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[+] [S] 51 points 7 months ago (2 children)
[deleted]
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    • [–] 23 points 7 months ago

    That's it, I'm deleting the internet

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    [–] 19 points 7 months ago

    Good, we should be by IPv9 already, but I can wait.

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    [–] 16 points 7 months ago

    This is all just a distraction for the real best option, IPv5

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    [–] 18 points 7 months ago (8 children)

    I'm so confused. It's april 1st ok but we're discussing an email from last august?

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  • [–] 21 points 7 months ago (4 children)

    Kinda like ipv6 adoption, huh?

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  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    Still confused. IPV6 when communicating externally, IPv4 on the local network because at least we can understand these addresses.

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  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago

    I was making a joke about how the email was dated back in August 2025, and how it’s being posted now (for April Fool’s Day). The comparison being that the email talked about waiting on IPv6 adoption since 1998.

    But you’re right that using IPv4 locally makes sense. Ain’t no way I’m trying to remember a 128-bit address.

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    • [–] 9 points 7 months ago

    PROTOCAL 7 LIVES

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    [–] 7 points 7 months ago

    Ok, yeah, late to the discussion, but that's because I used RFC2549

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    [–] 3 points 7 months ago

    loved being behind a triple nat and sharing the public IP with every customer in the county

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    [–] 4 points 7 months ago

    ipv6 still sucks.

    Real solution to ipv4 problem- ipv4 but we add another triplet.

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    7 comments in c/linux@sh.itjust.works view that post
    [–] 11 points 7 months ago

    Happy 1st of April

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    [–] 7 points 7 months ago

    IPv2 was more than sufficient, anything beyond that was lunacy.

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    [+] 5 points 7 months ago (4 children)
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  • [–] [S] 2 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    I've never been able to quote and get spoiler to work fully, I think the 2 are just incompatible with each other, best I get is this partial working one where closed it's quoted and when you open it it goes outside the quote

    Yes, but you also sent it to a .ml comm, soo it came here ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

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  • [+] 3 points 7 months ago (1 child)
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  • [–] [S] 2 points 7 months ago*

    !linux@programming.dev is the primary one I contribute too as well as primary for my .ml crossposting

    But, where possible, I have identified secondary comms to crosspost to. The sh.itjust.works one is the next largest off-world off-ml linux comm that isn't programming.dev

    I don't really check for active mods, if it becomes an issue for a comm I usually just request to be made a mod at some point

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  • [+] 3 points 7 months ago (1 child)
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  • [–] [S] 2 points 7 months ago

    Lol no no, they had just posted to both the .ml linux comm and !linux@programming.dev

    I crosspost content from .ml as part of boycott/protest efforts:

    Why am I cross-posting .ml content?

    I cross-post from .ml to the nearest relevant non-.ml comm to reduce the influence of .ml comms and indirectly, the instance as a whole, to help vitilize non-.ml comms and make it an easier decision for other instance admins to defederate because one key reason I identified that admins don't want to defederate is because .ml still has some very large comms and some active niche comms.

    Megathread on the issue

    Some highlights from the link:

    .ml admin, Nutomics continued transphobia https://lemmy.world/post/29222558 The original transphobic Comment from Nutomic: https://lemmy.world/post/18236068

    "If you don't support Russia then you just don't understand geopolitics" ~dessalines, .ml admin, dev https://lemmy.world/post/27352415

    "Don't worry guys, the Uyghur Genocide was REALLY just birth control! ~dessalines, .ml admin, dev https://lemmy.world/post/30580167

    "See! nobody died IN Tiananmen Square, just AROUND it, so it doesn't count!!" ~ Davel, .ml admin https://lemmy.world/post/30673342

    "NK is actually good and anything counter to that is Western propaganda!" ~dessalines, .ml admin, dev https://lemmy.world/post/31595035

    General negative sentiment to other instances who haven't "seen the way" yet ~davel, .ml admin https://lemmy.world/post/27426510

    And so so much documentation on clear heavy handed censorship and bias also on the link. So much I can't even put them all here because this comment would be really long.

    I believe the behavior of its admins (the main admins are Lemmy devs) does harm to the overall growth of the Lemmy-verse and maybe even the Thrediverse (since Lemmy kinda kicked off the Thrediverse) because of its association with the devs of Lemmy and their insistence to use .ml as their personal political platform to spread harmful propaganda

    On the outside, bringing up Lemmy frequently leads to comments like "Lemmy? Isn't that the place with a bunch of tankies?" Or "Tried Lemmy, but found it full of pro Russia crap so I left". The best way forward from that I see is to either widely defederate from .ml like the rest of the Triad, or pressure them to put a fair and unbiased as possible admin team.

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