Chances are your computer uses Windows, as it is a simple and user-friendly operating system. You have probably heard of Linux or one of its distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu, Arch or any other. But did you know that it is very possible that you are using Windows? you are using Linux Every day because of most of the everyday devices?
For a PC, whether desktop or laptop, the most common operating system is Windows. Next, we have macOS on the computers supplied by the company with the bitten apple. Linux is much further down, with a minority presence.
The situation is much different when we talk about other devices, such as smartphones, tablets, household appliances, vehicles and much more. Believe it or not, the vast majority are based on different Linux distributions customized by manufacturers. Let’s talk a little about the devices that use a version of Linux.
Linux is everywhere and you didn’t know it
You’re probably incredulous and thinking that this isn’t the case. The reality is that this operating system is everywhere, although many times they are special versions optimized by the manufacturer. We’ll start with the most common ones and the ones you probably have:
- Appliances: Devices such as smart vacuum cleaners, connected refrigerators, washing machines that you can manage with your mobile phone, the AirFrier or the kitchen robot use Linux. For manufacturers, it is much easier to take a Linux distribution, strip it down and adjust it to their needs than to create an operating system from scratch, which is slow, expensive and very complex.
- Smartphone, tablets and SmartTV: You may have heard of Android, but Google’s operating system is actually nothing more than a customized Linux. The same goes for other operating systems for these devices, all of which are based on Linux but with customizations.
- Electric vehicle: Not just Teslas, all electric vehicles require an operating system to function. Manufacturers adapt different Linux distributions for their electric cars, allowing them to save time and headaches.
- Smart devices: Smart speakers and similar devices also use versions of this operating system. It offers manufacturers great flexibility, simplicity and, above all, it is free.
All of these are more or less expected and you probably already knew that they were running Linux. But now we’ll go with a small list of devices that use this distribution that might just blow your mind:
- Road signs: Believe it or not, the vast majority of road signs use this operating system. They have stripped-down versions of Linux, but at the end of the day, they use this operating system for the flexibility it offers.
- Electricity meters: We’re sure you didn’t see this one coming. Currently, in Spain, only smart electricity meters are installed that send information electronically. Well, to work, they use an optimized version of Linux with high levels of security to detect fraud.
- Vending machines: The typical drink or snack machine that you find almost anywhere and accepts card payments uses Linux. The same thing happens as in the previous cases, it offers flexibility and you don’t have to pay to use it.
Finally, and as a curiosity, you should know that SpaceX rockets use Linux. This has been known for quite some time, using an optimized version that performs redundant diagnostics. Musk explained that they used this operating system because it was robust, very secure and easily adapted to their needs. Oh, and above all, it allowed them to save the enormous cost of developing their own operating system.