You can if you emulate a CPU that does have an MMU. Someone has actually done this to get Linux booting on an Intel 4004. Another one got Linux to boot on a Commodore 64.
They tried running Linux on their ENIAC, but someone accidentally tipped over one of the crates of punch cards which has unfortunately set the project back a few months.
What was it, the ENIAC?
Linux doesn’t run on anything below a 386 because it requires a MMU.
(Some people have made forks that can run on 286s etc., but those changes have never been part of the mainline kernel.)
You can if you emulate a CPU that does have an MMU. Someone has actually done this to get Linux booting on an Intel 4004. Another one got Linux to boot on a Commodore 64.
What can I run on a Transmeta Crusoe?
386 support was dropped years ago.
They tried running Linux on their ENIAC, but someone accidentally tipped over one of the crates of punch cards which has unfortunately set the project back a few months.