Apple's OS X and Microsoft's Windows operating systems are always in the spotlight, but the free and open-source Linux quietly churns away to power a surprising number of everyday or unusual items.
Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, told us, "You use Linux every day but you don't know it. It's such a fundamental part of our lives.
"It runs air traffic control, it runs your bank, and it runs nuclear submarines. Your life, money, and death is in Linux's hands, so we can keep you alive, clean you out, or kill you. It's incredible how important it is.
"The world without Linux might be a very different place. It's one where computing is kind of crappy and homogeneous. You're still using Windows CE on your crappy Windows cell phone. That world is grim and dark and Linux is a reason why that world doesn't exist."
We've gathered 12 examples that prove Zemlin's statements are no exaggeration – for such an oft-forgotten operating system, you rely on Linux far more than you realize.
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.
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