Linux Drops Double Talk ISA Driver in 7.2 After 20-Plus Years of Near-Zero Activity
Updated
Updated · Phoronix · May 25
Linux Drops Double Talk ISA Driver in 7.2 After 20-Plus Years of Near-Zero Activity
3 articles · Updated · Phoronix · May 25
Linux 7.2 is set to remove the Double Talk PC ISA speech synthesizer driver after maintainers concluded it was likely unused and not meaningfully maintained for decades.
The dtlk driver has severe coding-style problems and, since Linux 2.6.12-rc2, has seen only tree-wide fixes and occasional cleanup patches rather than substantive development.
The same RC Systems DoubleTalk hardware is already supported through drivers/accessibility/speakup for screen-reader use, with a separate implementation that does not share code with dtlk.
The removal has already landed in char-misc-next, reflecting Linux's broader effort to trim obsolete code and cut future maintenance burden for legacy ISA-era hardware.
With one obsolete driver gone, what other 'rough edges' will Linux developers cut to perfect the user experience?
As Linux deletes legacy drivers, is it sacrificing its identity as the ultimate OS for reviving old hardware?
While AI promises to fix code, is manually deleting it a more practical solution for massive open-source projects?