| wIndependence Day Essay: From the Flight Deck . . . |
by Chris G. Stevens (August 8, 2002)
Good morning ladies and gentlemen from the flight deck. This is Captain Tux and we're glad to have you along with us on this short hop over to College Station, Texas. Flying time will be 32 minutes at an altitude of 16,000 feet and 400 miles per hour. We don't expect anything but smooth sailing today so sit back and enjoy the flight . . .
Peace at last! Who wouldn't enjoy this? My own leather seat, tons of leg room, and I didn't have to wait in a single line. In fact, the plane waited for me. This scenario doesn't happen anymore at the major airports. I'm not sure if it ever did for most people. My personal jet has just picked me up in Fort Worth for a quick business meeting in College Station and I'll even be home in time to eat dinner with my wife and kids tonight. I'm no millionaire or celebrity, but like many folks, I reached a point several years ago where I realized that there has to be a better way. For me, the question was how do I turn my love of aviation into a job that pays the bills. For others, these better ways abound in all parts of your personal and professional lives. I'm here to provide you with another example of how Linux, the power of the Community, and a little hard work can change the very fabric of any enterprise. With any luck, maybe I'll provide a glimmer of hope that things really can and will change in the world
About two years ago, I read about a group of very smart folks from the software industry that wanted to build a private jet. Not just one jet -- literally thousands of them. I was skeptical when I first learned that the founder was a former Microsoft employee, but my opinion would soon change. As the story unfolded, Vern Raburn and his band of wizards at Eclipse Aviation in New Mexico, began to craft a beautiful new twin-engined business jet using the latest in technology and some ingenious engineering. The result: the Eclipse 500 Jet. For less than $1 million each, a bargain for a business jet, anyone can have the freedom to travel wherever they choose whenever they want to. Vern calls his business 'disruptive technology' and I tend to agree with him. He challenged nearly every norm and standard practice in the aircraft industry to reach this point. In spite of industry experts telling him that he wouldn't succeed, he is doing just that. This remarkable craft will take to the skies later this summer and things WILL change.
Enter a small start-up from Fort Worth, Texas called Penguin Airlines. My love for aviation got the best of me one day and I could no longer pass up the opportunity to make a little mark on the World. The Eclipse was well on its way into development and I could see that people were tired of shuffling through crowded airports, standing in security lines, and generally feeling like they were wasting away their days traveling. There has to be a better way.
As it turns out, there are quite a few people that are tired of the existing airport scene. After reading hundreds of articles and meticulously planning the tiniest details, I decided that I should give it the old college try. Penguin Airlines was formed as an on-demand air taxi service provider to provide business and leisure travelers with point-to-point personal jet service for about the cost of a first-class airline ticket. I spent many months working on this project before I could find a name that would do it justice. As it happened, the answer was right in front of me all along. All of my planning involved Linux as it represented the key to achieving unprecedented efficiency and agility for the business processes. More importantly, Linux represents the 'little guy' in a David and Goliath type of battle. What a perfect way to pay tribute to an amazing compilation of so many people's work. As we strive to shed the elitist stereotype of those that typically use private jets for travel, Penguin Airlines takes on a position very similar to the battle that Linux is waging in the software world.
Penguin is not an airline as one would traditionally think, but very much a serious operation with some serious requirements for systems stability and reliability. The air travel business is a 24-hour operation and Linux was the only platform considered because it has proven itself capable of handling mission critical data in companies all over the world. My faith in this system comes from many years of running Linux and witnessing all the benefits of Community-supported products firsthand. It also has everything to do with my 'better way' philosophy. If I can run an entire airline with commodity hardware and open-source software, I immediately command a strong competitive advantage in terms of drastically lower operating costs. Furthermore, the firm is not restricted by licensing schemes or specialized hardware that would prevent it from being extremely responsive to changing business needs.
Not only will you find Linux in the data centers at Penguin, but in every workstation, in every pilot's flight bag, in every mechanic's toolbox, and on the desk of each reservations agent. This setup allows tremendous benefits and mobility as each person can access his or her electronic desktop, complete with telephone extension and speed dials, from any location within our organization. The native networking capabilities of Linux allow this functionality with minimum effort and maintenance which allows our staff to devote more time to value-added activities and development. Since our business is distributed widely over the communities that we serve, much of our staff works remotely and from home using standard Internet connections to our web-based services. Having this level of capability greatly increases employee morale and boosts recruiting power for new talent immensely without increasing costs. Our flight crews can log-on from their Linux laptops or any web browser and have a complete suite of planning tools, passenger details, and system-wide status at their disposal. Our crews are our main link to the customer and must remain acutely aware of all facets of the operation.
Security is a significant concern in any enterprise setting. Standard Linux installations boot up for the first time many more times secure than comparable Microsoft implementations. Again, less maintenance means more time to devote to new products and customers. Collaborative tools that serve as the stitching in the corporate fabric are powered by Linux and Apache. Building the organization from the ground up with Linux and open-source software as a foundation eliminates the need to pay Microsoft or any commercial vendor monthly licensing fees.
Few people will get the chance to build an organization from scratch as we have, so your task is a slightly more difficult one. You must challenge every norm and drive against established standards to grow Linux within your organization. Think about Raburn's 'disruptive technology' when you are formulating your next case for implementing Linux within your own company. He has proven that it can be done in a very unforgiving industry. It will not be an easy fight, but you must continue your quest in the face of immense pressure to spend millions on commercial offerings. Your company will soon realize the substantial value and benefits that Linux provides as we have witnessed during our implementation. Your efforts will be rewarded with systems that are developed inexpensively and will serve your needs reliably for years to come.
As the Captain said as we started this story, "We don't expect anything but smooth sailing today so sit back and enjoy the flight."
Best of luck to each of you in your efforts to bring Linux to the Enterprise.
Chris G. Stevens
President, Penguin Airlines Inc.
Talk back! Do you have comments or questions about this story? talkback here
Please note: The opinions expressed in this essay are those of the writer, not of the management or staff of DesktopLinux.com.
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