Linux Entertainment in Airbus A380
When the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 takes off for its maiden flight October 25, it will have a complete Linux client/server system on board.
The in-flight entertainment system, "KrisWorld", on board of the new Airbus A380 jumbo is based on Red Hat Linux, at least for Singapore Airlines machines. The core of the entertainment system is a server with several terabytes of storage capacity. Every seat, no matter what class, will have a network client with a VIA processor and an additional 40GB of local storage. This doesn't mean that there are no "class distinctions": business class passengers can look forward to 15.4" screens, whereas economy class passengers have to make do with 10.4". First class passengers will have 23" displays.
The system offers various entertainment components, such as video and music on demand, 22 radio streams and 65 different games. To allow passengers to make meaningful use of the time they spend above the clouds, passengers have access to the Staroffice office suite by Sun Microsystems. Users can access their own documents via a USB port. The ports also allow passengers to attach their own input devices, meaning that business passengers can leave their laptops behind.
The system will also be deployed in the upcoming Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airline is currently updating previous systems in its planes.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Armbian 24.11 Released with Expanded Hardware Support
If you've been waiting for Armbian to support OrangePi 5 Max and Radxa ROCK 5B+, the wait is over.
-
SUSE Renames Several Products for Better Name Recognition
SUSE has been a very powerful player in the European market, but it knows it must branch out to gain serious traction. Will a name change do the trick?
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.
-
Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.
-
New Steam Client Ups the Ante for Linux
The latest release from Steam has some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve.
-
Gnome OS Transitioning Toward a General-Purpose Distro
If you're looking for the perfectly vanilla take on the Gnome desktop, Gnome OS might be for you.
-
Fedora 41 Released with New Features
If you're a Fedora fan or just looking for a Linux distribution to help you migrate from Windows, Fedora 41 might be just the ticket.