inspired by What if UNIX Systems Ran Airlines?
Linux
You were skeptical when several of your friends mentioned that
a relatively new airline was giving away tickets for free. You are intrigued
however by their policy of allowing passengers to inspect every inch of their
plane during flight and on the ground. When you arrive at the terminal, you
note that in certain places, the structure bares resemblence to those of several
other larger airlines.
The ticket counter is strange though. You observe a very long
counter with many different logos behind it. Your friends had told you that
the agents all work for Linux Air, but you get different services depending on which
one you use. You approach the counter with the large red swirl logo and
check your bags. The agent informs you that your ticket and baggage check are
free if you use their electronic ticketing system, but they will provide a
ticket if you dont mind paying $0.15 for the ink and paper.
Linux Air has a growing fleet: a mix of older and newer planes
from small to large. Recent mechanical issues with their larger multiengine
plans have been solved, but they still dont fly any as large as those flown by
AIX. When you board the plane, you notice your seat looks a little different
than many of the others. Some appear very comfortable and have large lettering
on the seatbelts, while others have a certain home-made look. Yours has a ton
of gadgets built into the arm rest. You take a minute to read the pamphlet
present in every seat pocket. Instead of the normal safety warnings, this
pamphlet is entitled "GNU General Public License". It says you have the right
to examine the plane and make any modifications to it that you wish. In doing
so, you must allow others to examine and modify your changes though.
The flight is pretty smooth, but you are somewhat worried by
the fact that the pilots and crew appear to be normal passengers. Also annoying
are the handful of passengers trying to shoot down other planes using home-made
weapons. Some of these weapons are quite effective, despite the lack of
knowledge of most of those who wield them. You arrive safely at your
destination about 5 minutes late thanks to the two passengers on your flight who
happened to be pilots. You manage to pick out your bags even though the
conveyer belt is spewing them into different places around the room.