In this case it doesn't 'matter' it is a small segment of
users. It is
a
segment of our maintainers who are. We either have to listen to them, 'fire
them', or buy them replacement hardware. Since we are already overloaded,
firing them has not been on the table. Buying replacement hardware is
expensive in multiple ways (time, capex, and various legal aspects). That
leaves listening to the maintainers.
At the risk of overextending an already well-elaborated thread, I would like to point out
that my main workstation, for Fedora packaging and other purposes, has an Intel Q6600
(Core 2 Quad) that does NOT meet the requirements for x86_64-v2. I built it in 2007, and
it has exceeded all expectations for how long it would remain useful. The desktop I
maintain for my parents uses an AMD Phenom II X4 965 processor, circa 2009-2010, and it
doesn’t support x86_64-v2 either—but it just keeps on working.
Now, I can afford to replace my own workstation if I must—and I’m planning to do so in
another year or two when the rolling component shortages settle out a little—but I suspect
there are still many others like me, some of whom might not be in a position to just sigh
and buy new hardware. Even for those who can, the pandemic and the crypto crazes have made
it an exceptionally bad time to be forced into an upgrade.