this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2024
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Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Here's a few that I know of. What other things are commonly running Linux that most people may but be aware of?

  • Ingenuity (helicopter drone on Mars)
  • Smart TVs and streaming devices (Samsung's TizenOS and Roku devices)
  • Smart appliances (Samsung's smart refrigerator)
  • Digital signs and billboards
  • My car stereo (Sony XAV-AX6000)
  • The Large Hadron Collider
  • FAA Air traffic control and radar systems
  • Self driving cars
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[–] KrapKake@lemmy.world 37 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Really it's the backbone of the modern tech world.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 8 points 10 months ago

Yeah, it used to be just web servers in a data center. Bigger systems used mainframes. Consumer electronics used custom RTOSes or other custom boards. Now it's everywhere. It's used in the biggest systems, like the computers that power virtually every Google product, and the smallest systems. It's almost not worth it not to use Linux when building a tiny device because it makes the dev cycle so much shorter.

[–] acid_falcon@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

Jesus I've been using Linux for years and your comment just made this really click for me. Do you think Linus is protected by governments and stuff? Like I know he didn't make all of it, and there's lots of forks, but he's defacto in charge... That's gotta be a lot of soft power