Linux 7.1 Removes Drivers for Bus Mouse Support

Linux 7.1 just took out the trash, axing drivers for 90s-era “bus mice” and other relics—and the internet is cackling. One commenter summed up the vibe with a meme-worthy jab at a “pee stained Microsoft mouse,” while another called it the “spring cleaning I crave.” The kernel team dropped support for ancient oddities like Logitech and Microsoft/ATI bus mice (the kind that used old PC expansion cards), a 1995 Palm Top touchpad, a 2000-era MK712 touchscreen, and a PS/2 mouse interface tied to super-old 386/486 laptops. There’s even a driver that’s been broken for 12 years and nobody noticed. Total haul: 3,374 lines deleted—and yes, someone posted the receipts: check the actual commit.

It’s not all dusty shelf-clearing—new goodies landed too: a fresh keypad driver, a haptics chip update, and better Chromebook keyboard support. But the comments turned into a mini-philosophy fight: does a bug in code nobody runs even exist? One user poked that paradox, while another launched a hot take that these drivers “should have been running in userspace” (outside the core system) ages ago—asking if Linux will follow Windows’ lead. Meanwhile, the majority piled on with roast-level humor about crumbling mouse cords and hardware that probably “can’t possibly have survived.” Verdict from the crowd: mercy-kill the mummies, keep the kernel lean, and bring on the modern stuff.