Fwd: Linux takes a seat on Qantas' new superjumbo

Experienced this system on multiple different Singapore Airline flights recently. Generally fairly good but multiple machines needing rebooting - seemed to be the proprietary system locking up rather than Linux as you could see the Linux kernel booting just fine! Systems were very slow on older planes 747/777 but faster on A380 but still some parts had badly written software as some parts were fast and some parts were slow (30 second wait after pressing a key). A380 has full OpenOffice installed and a USB socket so you can work on documents on your USB key. Tested it and it certainly worked fine! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: imcdnzl <ian.mcdonald(a)jandi.co.nz> Date: Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 9:43 AM Subject: Linux takes a seat on Qantas' new superjumbo To: ian.mcdonald(a)jandi.co.nz Sent to you by imcdnzl via Google Reader: Linux takes a seat on Qantas' new superjumbo<http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/C1160957CBF12890CC2574E200690BDA> via Computerworld <http://computerworld.co.nz/> on 10/14/08 Flight entertainment systems powered by Linux Things you can do from here: - Subscribe to Computerworld<http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.idg.net.nz%2Frss%2Fcomputerworld.xml?source=email>using *Google Reader* - Get started using Google Reader<http://www.google.com/reader/?source=email>to easily keep up with *all your favorite sites* -- Web: http://wand.net.nz/~iam4/, http://www.jandi.co.nz Blog: http://iansblog.jandi.co.nz

Ian McDonald wrote:
Experienced this system on multiple different Singapore Airline flights recently. Generally fairly good but multiple machines needing rebooting - seemed to be the proprietary system locking up rather than Linux as you could see the Linux kernel booting just fine!
Systems were very slow on older planes 747/777 but faster on A380 but still some parts had badly written software as some parts were fast and some parts were slow (30 second wait after pressing a key). A380 has full OpenOffice installed and a USB socket so you can work on documents on your USB key. Tested it and it certainly worked fine!
They have been using Linux on airplanes for many years, I recall my sister going overseas about 3-4 years ago and they ran a cut down RedHat distro. She thought it was pretty cool - though she only found out because hers hung and had to be rebooted. I dont recall the name of the airline however, but i thought it was a great idea. Liz
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: *imcdnzl* <ian.mcdonald(a)jandi.co.nz <mailto:ian.mcdonald(a)jandi.co.nz>> Date: Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 9:43 AM Subject: Linux takes a seat on Qantas' new superjumbo To: ian.mcdonald(a)jandi.co.nz <mailto:ian.mcdonald(a)jandi.co.nz>
Sent to you by imcdnzl via Google Reader:
Linux takes a seat on Qantas' new superjumbo <http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/C1160957CBF12890CC2574E200690BDA>
via Computerworld <http://computerworld.co.nz/> on 10/14/08
Flight entertainment systems powered by Linux
Things you can do from here:
* Subscribe to Computerworld <http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.idg.net.nz%2Frss%2Fcomputerworld.xml?source=email> using *Google Reader* * Get started using Google Reader <http://www.google.com/reader/?source=email> to easily keep up with *all your favorite sites*
-- Web: http://wand.net.nz/~iam4/ <http://wand.net.nz/%7Eiam4/>, http://www.jandi.co.nz Blog: http://iansblog.jandi.co.nz ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 10:44:53AM +1300, Liz wrote:
They have been using Linux on airplanes for many years, I recall my sister going overseas about 3-4 years ago and they ran a cut down RedHat distro. She thought it was pretty cool - though she only found out because hers hung and had to be rebooted.
Ditto, this is from March 2007: http://www.wlug.org.nz/~jrm/entertainment_system.jpeg If you can run openoffice now though then it sounds like either a different inflight entertainment system or an updated one to what I saw. I also can't remember which airline that was with... John

On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 11:53 AM, John McPherson <jrm(a)wlug.org.nz> wrote:
On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 10:44:53AM +1300, Liz wrote:
They have been using Linux on airplanes for many years, I recall my sister going overseas about 3-4 years ago and they ran a cut down RedHat distro. She thought it was pretty cool - though she only found out because hers hung and had to be rebooted.
Ditto, this is from March 2007:
http://www.wlug.org.nz/~jrm/entertainment_system.jpeg
If you can run openoffice now though then it sounds like either a different inflight entertainment system or an updated one to what I saw. I also can't remember which airline that was with...
The OpenOffice was only on the very latest - the A380 but the underlying software seemed to be the same - just that the later the plane the more polished the software was and the faster the hardware. One thing that was quite interesting was that they had a Nintendo Gameboy emulator on it as well... -- Web: http://wand.net.nz/~iam4/, http://www.jandi.co.nz Blog: http://iansblog.jandi.co.nz

On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 12:03 PM, Ian McDonald <ian.mcdonald(a)jandi.co.nz>wrote:
One thing that was quite interesting was that they had a Nintendo Gameboy emulator on it as well...
If find that the Nintendo emulator is very slow to load and the controller difficult to use. That said, on my last SQ flight, I managed to play Super Mario Brothers for four hours non-stop since it was so frustratingling difficult and I wanted to get past level eight! Regards, David Hallett, BSc, MNZCS Pulsar Computer Solutions Ltd P.O. Box 15-516 Hamilton, New Zealand Phone: +64-7-210 5520 Mobile: +64-21-802 256 Email: david(a)pulsar.net.nz
participants (4)
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David Hallett
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Ian McDonald
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John McPherson
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Liz