Deprecating Architectures and BSPs after 6 Branches

[Gedare Bloom]

A minor update, we have added several more m68k boards to the mrm332
board for deprecation in 6 and removal in 7:
m68k/csb360
m68k/gen68340
m68k/gen68360
m68k/gen68360_040
m68k/pgh360
m68k/mcf5206elite
m68k/mcf52235
m68k/mcf5225x
m68k/mrm332
m68k/mvme147
m68k/mvme147s
m68k/mvme162
m68k/mvme162lx
m68k/mvme167

On Fri, May 31, 2024 at 2:32 PM Joel Sherrill <joel at rtems.org> wrote:
>
> Hi
>
> As the branching of 6 approaches, there have been discussions of deprecating some architectures entirely and some specific BSPs. This means they would be present in the 6.x series but not present in the 7.x series.
>
> Various factors play into the decision but include loss of compiler support and aging out of the hardware platform. Being old isn't enough -- we want to have confidence that no one is using RTEMS on that platform. For example, we have been told that m68040 MVME boards are still around in some labs. We will keep them. But the mrm332 board within the same m68k family is on the deprecation list after contacting the hardware vendor.
>
> A recent factor is lack of a maintainer to the point of not being able to get permission to relicense. We have a few architectures that do not appear to be in active use and the port authors have not responded to relicense requests.
>
> Architectures on the deprecation list are:
>
> + bfin, lm32, mips, sh, sparc64, and v850
>
> The BSP list isn't settled yet but looks likely to include old ARM boards like the gumstix and the original BeagleBoard. We think the m68k and powerpc families likely have BSPs which are no longer in use.
>
> As we continue the transition to GitLab, we want to leverage CI as much as practical. Reducing architectures and BSPs significantly impacts turn around time. I
>
> If you know of architectures or BSPs that you have stopped using or think have aged out, please let us know.  We really need user input.
>
> Conversely, if you are silently using something, let us know. It will keep it off the deprecation list for at least one more round. :)
>
> Thanks.
>
> --joel
>
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