Singapore Airlines Puts A Linux PC In Every Seat

[The High Flyer]

First reported on Flyertalk:

Flying in economy class doesn't have to be a miserable experience.

To make flying more enjoyable for its passengers, Singapore Airlines Ltd. is adding bigger screens, more in-flight movies and a PC, running Red Hat Inc.'s distribution of the Linux operating system, in every seat on its newest planes.

Unlike many U.S. airlines, the carrier doesn't view in-flight service as a cost center where cutbacks can be made to reduce losses or boost profits. Instead, Singapore Airlines' latest investments in cabin service are designed to help it stand out from the competition and attract more passengers.

...

Full story here

[jhm]

Is this news ?

The possibility of eX2 running Linux was shown by a photo in SQflyergirl's 77W J trip report last December and which I noted in this post. However, it is nice to have confirmation!

I wonder who'll be the first to get a command shell ?

I imagine that the IFE system in each seat is capable of running a browser like Firefox and an instant messaging client (both of which can be activated when Connexion is replaced).

[The High Flyer]

And also do a screen dump when there's data overload.

[quik!]

What good is that PC for?

Play games? Use wordpad?

Pc is no use if there is no INTERNET!

[DeltaFlyingProf]

I already noticed on the 77W inaugural that it was running linux when they had to restart the system and I saw the boot sequence going by

[huaiwei]

What good is that PC for?

Play games? Use wordpad?

Pc is no use if there is no INTERNET!

Use Staroffice for some last minute changes to office documents loh. Might be of help in airports where laptops cant be carried on.