Linux @lemmy.ml StorageB @lemmy.one 10 mo. ago

What are some interesting devices powered by Linux?

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

75 comments

All 3 billion Android devices in the world. It's pretty crazy when you think about it. Also 96% of the top 1 million web servers and all of the 500 fastest super computers (excluding quantum) in the world.
- What are the quantum computers running? Also, please tell me they can run Doom.
  
  afaik quantum computers don't run operative systems, they are programmed to do exactly one thing.
  
  And no, they can't run Doom.
  
  If Doom can run on pregnancy tests and IKEA light bulbs, it must be possible to run it on the most advanced kind of computer known to mankind I guess
  
  Doom, yes.
  
  Crysis?
  
  maybe
- Quantum computers aren't fast, they're very slow.
  
  Eventually, if things keep progressing, they'll be able to do certain things like factoring primes faster than conventional computers. But, the clock rate will probably always be abysmal.
Remarkable eink tablets. Buried deep in the settings they actually give you the root password so you can SSH in. Also, it comes with an epic .vimrc file.
- THEY DO?!? NO WAY!
  
  But, the software they ship is completely closed source and displaying anything on the screen requires hacking the binary (each software release). They have have been the opposite of helpful to open source for the last few years and have stooped to a cloud company trying to collect your data.
  
  Yup. Have been running an FTP server on my Kobo Touch over its WiFi. Kinda neat.
  
  https://github.com/reMarkable/linux At that, there are ways to hack it of course (Fairly certain it “ruins” some returns/warranty policies, but if you can in those cases, you can easily revert the modified bits if needed)
  
  tl;dr : if you want to try to hack it safely, heads up to : https://remarkable.guide/
  
  If you would like to run a pre-made Debian chroot on it. Saw other distros from other users https://github.com/Eeems-Org/remarkable-debian-chroot
  
  If you would like to use (Not fully replace for stability/recovery concerns) another launcher which is MIT licensed https://github.com/Eeems-Org/oxide
  
  You can install the “vanilla” (minus extra bits) kernel via Toltec https://toltec-dev.org/stable/#section-launchers
  
  Aaaand, if you want to go the full libre way, there's a port of parabola on it sold here http://www.davisr.me/projects/parabola-rm/ Article here https://hackaday.com/2020/09/06/a-free-software-os-for-the-remarkable-e-paper-tablet/
- Kindles too. You can jailbreak them and get a shell. They're so much more useful when they're jailbroken. They can read multiple other formats, they can get books from a fileserver on your local network, the jailbroken reader app is better, etc.
- Yeah, I've made a custom lock screen picture and uploaded it. I unfortunately have to redo it every update.
  
  Also what is a .vimrc file?
  
  Settings/customizations file for legendary text editor vim. Remarkable's comes with a lot of stuff built-in.
Robot vacuums. Some of them you can root and install the opensource Valetudo.
- Yes!! I can SSH into mine! Just fuggin wild that they run Ubuntu =⁠-D
  
  Great. Time to update Nginx on my vacuum.
- Wow, this open source firmware is cool
- The idea of installing Linux on a vacuum...
The handheld gaming console - valve steam deck
- Also Handheld emulation consoles
The vast majority of the web, really.
- Nearly all of AWS.
Really it's the backbone of the modern tech world.
- 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.
I have been making interactive dioramas with Linux.
- This is the coolest thing I've seen in a while.
  
  Thanks! I have been having fun experimenting with them.
International Space Station.
The lego mindstorms ev3 robot
- Bruh it takes like 40 seconds to boot my lego brick 💀 im not even kidding
  
  I KNOW
Cars. Either entertainment system or navigation or more..

BMW has quite the list of licences for opensource libraries and Linux in the about section of the car-menu.

And more and more network equipment.
- So we can download the sources?
  
  BMW requires you to go the written notice path and they send you a DVD with the sources
Passenger information systems in public transport. Some might run some kind of embedded windows, but most run on Linux. Certainly here in Czechia, but I believe it's common at east throughout the Central Europe.
The Hanz Niemann buttplug probably
Pretty much everything that's running on a microprocessor (i.e. larger than a microcontroller) and not from Microsoft or Apple.
The thin piece of electronics in my hand that I'm typing this on
Passenger Entertainment Systems in Boeing 737 MAX.
Linux powers robotic cow-milking machine

https://lwn.net/Articles/156862/
my sexbot
- "I fuck Arch, btw."
  
  Arch is the hot one, Debian is the girl next door, NixOS is the cute barista down the street.
  
  Kali has three kids and smokes (but every once in a while...)
The International Space Station (ISS)

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter and SpaceX's Falcon 9 Rocket

My Samsung Phone
- They link doesn't say the jwst uses Linux. Just that python is used by the jwst team.
Many cars are powered by a flavor of Linux called AGL - Automotive Grade Linux

Check out all the brands shown here:

https://www.automotivelinux.org
My lump charcoal smoker.
I was product manager at a company that made PTZ cameras based on Linux. The company was acquired a few times but still actually manufactures them in Minnetonka MN. Kind of fun working at a place the had development, manufacturing, support and engineering in one building.

https://www.legrandav.com/Products/Cameras/Videoconferencing PTZ Camera/RoboSHOT-12E-USB/
- How do you rate these cameras against the competition?
  
  Well, it turns out only a handful of companies actually make image modules. I would say it is better in terms of US based support, firmware, hardware design, and the fact it meets TAA and buy America compliance. I've seen these cameras in the DoD and even in the oval office. If you want a camera that is absolutely not spying on you I can vouch for these because I have watched the firmware get built on these.
Parrot's older consumer drones. They took really long to power up, and ran very hot.

I believe you could telnet into them too, although that was later discovered to be a bug and not a feature
I know at least few components in the power grid that run on top of linux
Some old Archos media players, such as the 605 WiFi, run a locked down Linux according to Wikipedia.
The reMarkable runs on Linux too! It's an eink paper tablet
Hate them or love them, Teslas are run on Linux.

https://github.com/teslamotors/linux
- Last commit was more than 5 years ago..
  
  Apparently most of their code is not open source.
AKAI MPC standalones running some kind of Linux flavor https://niklasnisbeth.gitlab.io/mpc-internals/

Too bad they won’t release their DAW software for Linux desktops.
- Ableton’s Push 3 standalone runs Linux too. Same gripe about their DAW as well.
Google
Deleted comment

You've viewed 75 comments.