To put it another way, let's fast forward 10 years to a time when (if Bitcoin is still around) all of the mining hardware you're referring to is completely useless for any kind of profitable mining. The state-of-the-art mining rigs dwarf all of today's machines in comparison. Are you going to be fighting the same battle then, arguing that since some miners from years ago relied on obsolete microcontrollers for controlling their mining hardware, development should still cater to those as a least common denominator?

Because, as you put it earlier, "more overall hashrate is better." Apparently that assertion trumps all other concerns.

How could the network possibly deal with those people shutting down obsolete mining rigs? /sarcasm

(I honestly don't mean any personal disrespect in this conversation - I'm just finding it difficult to understand the rationale for catering to any specific hardware configuration, especially a hardware configuration that seems so… misguided and cheap).