The Linux Foundation: You will be lost in world without Linux

I have often written about how the world runs on Linux, and how most users are none the wiser.

To spread awareness about Linux, the Linux Foundation has created a series of videos called ‘World Without Linux’ that features two characters trying to navigate through life without Linux.

In a blog post introducing the series, Jennifer Cloer, Senior Director of Communications & Community at The Linux Foundation, wrote:

Some argue it doesn’t matter if anyone knows what runs their devices or connects them to their colleagues, friends and family. That’s fair. People want to use technologies that simply work.  But with the growing ubiquity of Linux and open source software, generally, it becomes important to shine a light on the technologies that are building the future while supporting the companies and developers who are making that happen.

The foundation has just published the second video in the series, and was gracious enough to give ITworld early exclusive access. In this video we learn that no Linux in many cases means no GPS and no mobile mapping services.

Here is the video:

While we would be at least inconvenienced, if not actually lost in a world without Linux, the fact is that GPS systems like TomTom are powered by Linux. And Google Maps, along with many core Google projects run on Linux servers. In fact Google’s entire infrastructure runs on Linux.

At one point in the video the characters make a joke about the printer cutting out some words on the map, but let’s not forget that printers also run on Linux.

The first video in the series, which was published last week, focused on how the Internet as we know it wouldn’t exist without Linux. And that’s very much true. The vast majority of the websites you use today – from Facebook to Wikipedia (with the exception of those owned by Microsoft such as Bing and Live.com) —  runs on Linux. And with Microsoft’s increasing usage of Linux, it may be a matter of time before those sites are migrated to Linux as well.