THE article explains that Linux 7.0 will excise support for HIPPI, the High Performance Parallel Interface, a relic of late 1980s and 1990s supercomputing. According to Phoronix, a definitive commit has been integrated into the Linux 7.0 codebase to dismantle HIPPI support and the RoadRunner HIPPI driver, while the header file will be kept to preserve the integrity of TUN code. The HIPPI protocol, once pivotal in data transfer, offered speeds up to 800 megabits per second over distances of 25 metres.
Developers state that HIPPI has lacked relevance for more than twenty years and was superseded by Fibre Channel, with maintenance limited to superficial refactoring over time. The piece notes that the change is unlikely to affect modern users, but it invites reflection on how deeply relics are embedded in the Linux source. Published on 25 January 2026, the article frames the move as a small but symbolic step toward modernisation in the kernel.