Top 20 Uses of Linux

The Linux OS and its related distros and flavors have transformed it from hardcore software into an industrial brand. Even if you are not a fan of it, the Linux OS might be as common as the air you breathe if you closely analyze your day to day interactive activities. Almost all the modern technologies that transform and innovate the tech industry have a Linux OS DNA imprinted on them.

Those that are yet to be branded with their innovative uniqueness and recognition are waiting in line for the famed chance. Therefore, you might boldly claim that the Linux OS does not run your life, but the world around you cannot avoid the flirty pursuits of this open-source and free software.

Nowadays, almost anything that can be described as cool is either pursuing Linux or is being pursued by Linux. It is the perfect symbiotic relationship in a world that tries to find a balance in technology and innovation. This article explores the awesomeness and outreach of the Linux OS in the world around us. It might even be an eye-opener for some of us to start taking our Linux skills to the next level. Top500 quotes Linux as the powerhouse or engine behind five-hundred fastest computers worldwide.

I do not know of the speed of the computer composing this article or whether it qualifies to be among the listed five-hundred fastest computers worldwide. However, one thing is certain; it is 100% Linux DNA. On this note, let us start parading the top 20 uses of Linux.

1. Linux Runs NASA

You read this title correctly. The world organization responsible for naming the numerous stars and planets around us has a strong faith in Linux. They are using the open-source approach to sell the world to open-faith to prepare ourselves for the likelihood of making contact with extraterrestrial lifeforms. Since NASA uses Pleiades supercomputers, this statement should be enough proof of the performance metrics a Linux OS has to offer.

These supercomputers embrace the open-source nature of Linux OS as their primary software to exploit and re-discover our solar system and galaxy. NASA switched from Windows to Linux years ago because of the favored performance reliability the Linux system offered. The recent deployment of the Astrobee robots to monitor and work under an International Space Station is proof enough that with Linux, the sky is not the limit.

2. Linux Runs eReaders

If you are currently digesting this article piece word by word, you value reading as much as breathing. Life somehow feels incomplete without digesting some interesting article piece daily. Amazon paid close attention to earthlings’ desire to consume interesting reading materials and created the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. Linux runs the one place where you can store, archive, or bookmark thousands of your favorite reading material.

There is more to it though, Amazon’s services like Amazon EC2 and Fire TV are under the spell of Linux. Interacting with Alexa is indirectly interacting with a Linux system. Therefore, when you fetch your favorite sports team’s scoreboard or ask for the time via Alexa, an android-based Linux OS called Fire OS, with a Linux base, is responsible for the results you receive. It is a fact that when Google was developing Android, they were after a Linux OS that would cater to all mobile handsets. Android currently powers 76% of smartphones.

3. Linux Runs TV

The TiVo open-source entertainment platform for digital recording is Linux-based. The entertainment list does not end here. The simplified streaming capabilities of Roku devices, sourced from the Roku OS, qualifies its software as a customized Linux version. Video streaming through Chromecast has the digital footprints of a Linux Operating System. Apart from the streaming devices and set-top boxes, the power of Linux might also be hidden in your smart TV.

The webOS that breathes life to LG devices has a strong relationship with the Linux kernel. Devices designed and developed by brands like Phillips and Samsung also employ aspects of the Linux OS.

4. Linux Runs Smartwatches and laptops

The smartwatch’s bragging rights currently possess a high possibility of operating under a Linux OS. The worldwide school systems’ education-empowerment crusade has been embracing one-to-one systems implementations to ensure that every child on earth can access an individual laptop to meet their learning needs.

Most of the institutions propelling this crusade are taking the Chromebook approach. The Chrome OS that powers these resourceful and lightweight laptops got its inspiration from Linux; hence it has most of its borrowed parts under its design and development architecture.

5. Linux Runs Cars

Most cars run on fuel, but smart car manufacturers that are after conquering the automobile industry’s innovative landscapes like Volkswagen, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and Mazda are considering Automotive Grade Linux in their car manufacturing projects. It is a standard code base that wants to take over the automobile industry. The in-vehicle infotainment system installed on your car is also likely siphoning some Linux privileges. The non-profit automotive industry alliance, Genivi Alliance, is also standardizing the integration of vehicles cockpit’s middleware with a scalable OS. We can only guess the type of operating system they are implying.

6. Linux Runs Gaming Platforms

Every dedicated gamer or gaming enthusiast under the Linux platform is familiar with SteamOS. It is the go-to gaming platform powered by Linux for individuals that want to keep their gaming experience on their favorite OS, Linux. Apart from SteamOS, the control you get from Google’s myriad of services is because of the power of Linux.

7. Linux Runs Social Media

Your day-to-day login and apps interactions like scrolling, commenting, and liking on your favorite social media app might seem like a light load to a server hosting these sites or apps. When millions of users are online, it is a different story. It only takes an OS with scalable and stable performance metrics to contain and maintain the user experience of such user databases. Then you should not be surprised that Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook are all embracing the digital footprints of Linux.

In addition to these popularized social media platforms, there are upcoming federated nodes of decentralized social communities connected through platforms like Peertube for videos sharing, Pixelfed for photo sharing, and Nextcloud Social, GNU Social, and Mastodon for microblogging functionalities similar to Twitter. By default, these platforms embrace a Linux base with the added advantage of being open-source.

8. Linux Runs Businesses and Governments

Like the US Pentagon, a big government body had to bend its knee to Linux’s services and performance. It guarantees the integrity of their sensitive data and information from breaching or leaking to unwanted sources. The New York Stock Exchange also recognizes and embraces the use of Linux because of its security and stability reputation.

Even a flight operations base like the Federal Aviation Administration realized that it’s close to sixteen million flight logs and operations it handles yearly had to be under an Operating System like Linux. It caters to the reliability and stability of its performance operations. Other honorable mentions that salute the power and influence of Linux include the White House, Library of Congress, Senate, and House of Representatives.

9. Linux Runs Retail

If you love or fancy traveling by plane as a preference or for convenience, then the airplane that hosts your air journey will sometimes make an effort to have a functional entertainment system fitted on a seatback. These systems have a high resonance with the Linux OS. Most Points of Sale systems you run into or interact with on your favorite convenience store have a Linux base.

Smart devices and Smart Homes powered by Tizen OS have a Linux foundation as the codebase. Integrated library systems like Koha and Evergreen are common in many public libraries due to Linux’s free and open-source nature. Education is the key, but Linux is creating the doorway.

10. Linux Runs Apple

Being an Apple user and enthusiast does not completely free you from the spell of Linux, even if you have the bragging rights about macOS. Believe it or not but iCloud operates under a Linux-based platform. The company website hosting Apple computers uses the Linux platform to parade its unique products. The Netcraft tools will help you parade more websites hosted by Linux.

11. Linux Runs Routers

Whether you are connecting to the internet or need to play around with a network project you are working on, the power of a router can never be ignored. You might also need some freedom and flexibility in your router configuration. That is why you must consider using routers based on the free and open-source Linux operating system. They serve the users with functionalities like OpenDNS, which partly enables them to configure the router access via a custom domain name instead of memorizing the IP address. The flexibility of a Linux-based router also enables users to edit, change, or upgrade their router’s firmware for those seeking to explore the Ins and Outs of its functional design architecture.

12. Linux Runs other PCs Diagnosis

You might be working under a PC that uses an alternate operating system, and then it crashes. You do not have to scream at it for refusing to boot so that you can access your saved data or the ones you were working on before the system crash occurred. Create a Live CD based on a Linux OS of your choice but preferably the ones considered resourceful for data forensic like Kali Linux.

With this Live Linux OS version, there is no need to perform a complete OS installation, boot it from the crushed PC, and in no time, you will have complete access to the PC’s hard drives and troubleshoot your way through some of its famed data recovery tools. To be a Linux troubleshooting expert, some basic Linux knowledge is all you need, and the remaining inspiration will find you while implementing your practical skills.

13. Linux Runs Web Servers

Most websites active on the internet have gone the Linux way due to web hosting credentials like security, stable performance, and support for open-source services like the LetsEncrypt SSL certificates. Linux is also making it possible for users to run their own home-based hosting services flexibly and easily. The configurations in place are transparent and straightforward, and you do not need to seek proprietary services and external support to launch a full enterprise functional web server.

14. Linux Runs Mini Computers

A mini-computer like Raspberry Pi should not require too much of an introduction. It is a microcontroller powered by Linux and can help you accomplish any Linux-based project that requires a hardware interface to function. Such projects only require the power of your imagination to bring them to life. You can automate a home-based security system with a Raspberry Pi by coupling it with a camera module and a motion detection module.

There is no limit to the number of Linux-based Raspberry Pi gadgets you can create for your innovative projects. The Raspberry Pi board’s cheapness makes the successful exploration and creation of such innovative projects more about your imaginative drive than your wallet’s size.

15. Linux Runs Backup and Torrenting Services

Maybe you love sharing newly found educative content through torrents, or you don’t like the idea of taking risks with your system data. Data backup and torrenting services or functionalities are prime Linux features that are simple to implement under the right platform with the right skill set. All you need is the rightful configuration of a tiny dedicated Linux box, and you will be able to reap the data backup and torrenting functionalities and services.

XigmaNas turns a PC into a network backup streaming device, FreeNas will turn a PC into a multi-functional home server, and Amahi turns your PC into a VPN media streamer. These are just some of the Linux-based functionalities and services you can expect to enjoy.

16. Linux Runs the Hacking and Security World

When we mention Linux OS under the hacking and security domain, this context’s prime target is the Kali Linux distro. It is feature-rich and comes with all the pre-installed security tools you will need to run and test the strength and weaknesses of a target system or network feature under assessment.

The Kali Linux distro will help you understand how all the different layers of a network or system should be strengthened to minimize security breaches or compromises. It makes it easy to create an audit report of a system whose assessment helps improve on its current security infrastructure and protocols.

17. Linux Runs Old or Worn Out PCs

Maybe it is true that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but a Linux OS can certainly teach an old and worn-out PC how to be performant again. Many lightweight Linux distros are reviewed in the Linux community platforms that are ideal for old and ruled out computers. You will be surprised by the reviving power and performance inspiration a Linux Os will have on an old and struggling computer.

This approach is also an inspiration to revive these termed-dead computers and turn them into useful devices like a network backup and torrenting system. This Linux attribute that enables it to give old PCs a reviving touch makes it a perfect PC recycler since no PC is allowed to go to a garbage bin or a PC retirement home if any exists.

18. Linux Runs Telecommunication Industry

A network set up in the modern-day setting can never be too comfortable or confident of its defined infrastructure. It has to be competitive to remain relevant, and the only way to achieve this objective is to evolve with the new technology footprints. In the telecommunication industry, embedded systems benefit a lot from the Linux OS.

Linux is easily customizable, making it a favorite interfaced platform for installing network hardware. Additionally, network transmissions under a Linux platform are more accessible and flexibly distributive. Also, the installation and configuration of Linux as a firewall protects such networks from unauthorized or breached access.

19. Linux Runs Healthcare Systems

A Linux system administrator with Red Hat skills will be critical in managing patient records and diagnosis in healthcare organizations that deal with many patients and disease records. An example of a healthcare organization that fully embraces the managerial capabilities of Linux OS is the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The Debian GNU/Linux distribution is empowering some of its subsets to support the endeavors of healthcare providers and researchers by reducing the challenges they face when dealing with medical records and drug databases. These Linux systems come pre-packaged with a kernel containing electronic drug databases and medical records systemic in their usage and implementation. Linux, too helps save lives.

20. Linux Runs Careers and Education Systems

Some Linux knowledge mastery can take you far in life. You could land that system security and administration job you always wanted, or you could create your own security auditing business or company and check the authenticity of other systems and advice on their strength and weaknesses. Since Linux is always updating its functional features and schematics through a team of dedicated developers from gathered feedback the various Linux community platforms provide, it might be challenging to create an effective assessment of your Linux skills and understanding.

However, through standardized Linux certifications, you can compare how to stand out against other Linux community members and also boost your chances of landing high-paying Linux jobs. On the other hand, you could write awesome content like me and inspire others to join the Linux world.

Final Note

Before you began digesting this article piece, you might have thought that Linux is an essential component in our tech life. Now am sure you have changed your statement to something like Linux is Life. Linux does not just innovate our world. It incorporates freedom and flexibility in this innovative journey. It also gives us room for continuous expansion. Think of the daily routines and activities you achieve each day. If you find a blank page where you can innovate and apply some functionalities of Linux, then you are one innovative step away from entering the Linux Hall of Fame.

You might also like the article on 20 fun functionalities to achieve under a Linux OS.