Singapore Airlines gets Linux for inflight system
August 26, 2007 by Clair Ching
Filed under The Free World.
Whether you are in business class or economy class, you could enjoy Singapore Airlines’ inflight entertainment system. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
How does it work?
The latest version of KrisWorld is based on Panasonic Avionics Corp.’s eX2 in-flight entertainment system and was jointly developed by the two companies. The system consists of a central Linux server that connects to a network of PCs installed in every seat on the aircraft. The KrisWorld software offers an improved user interface and each economy-class seat is fitted with a 10.6-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screen that offers resolution of 1,280 pixels by 768 pixels.
They are larger in business and first class, where each seat comes with a 15.4-inch and 23-inch screen, respectively.
Source: Network World
Linux on their planes seem to be implemented as thin clients. And there’s no doubt that it would save costs on their part while giving their passengers entertainment. There’s also a chance for them to work while in the plane. But when it comes to security I am not sure how they plan to do that. Then again, if you’re beside someone you don’t know, would you really like to work on confidential documents? Maybe not.
The only thing I am wondering right now is that if they have a sys ad on every flight. 
