Linux Foundation claims world without Linux would be 'terrible'

PRAGUE: The executive director of the Linux Foundation has argued that the world would be a "terrible place" without Linux, claiming that the software is fundamental to key IT systems and technology firms the world over.

Jim Zemlin said at the annual LinuxCon event that without Linux a wealth of vital services would grind to halt, such as stock trading and train network systems, and even that special effects in movies would be awful.

"If we didn't have Linux then everything would be in black and white. The world without Linux would be an absolutely terrible place," he said.

Zemlin added that popular services such as Google, Amazon and Facebook would not work because they use Linux.

Zemlin did admit that some uses of Linux had failed to catch on, mocking his own claim from 2007 that "this is the year of the Linux desktop" by repeating the claim yet again, as he has in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds also gave some of thoughts on the technology, arguing that those using the system need to ensure a good experience for users, but that he is dubious whether many heed this advice.

"Breaking the user experience is an absolute 'no no'. I don't trust companies, I just trust a few people," he said.

Torvalds also gave his backing to ARM, saying that his experiences of the UK company's systems has improved in recent times, despite criticising the chip maker in August for failing to build a coherent community around its products.

"I like the ARM instruction set. I'm much happier with ARM today than I was six months ago," he said.