Why Not Windows?

I don't think that a homogeneous environment like JetBlue's saves money in the long run. The fact is that some platforms are better, and therefore more cost effective, at certain things that other platforms. For instance, Mac OSX is great for web development, desktop publishing, and general use, whereas Linux is stronger on servers because it has been more refined for that purpose.

Running everything on Windows seems great to the CIO and CEO, because that's what they use on their laptop and they don't want anything else. But companies that know about reliability use Linux, or AS/400, or Solaris, or BSD. Or a mix of all of them, because each has its inherent advantages depending on the application.

Windows is most popular for enterprise desktops because it is cheap to administer. It's cheap because people that specialize in it are a dime a dozen. In fact, the barrier to entry is so low that the field abounds with amateurs. And by this I mean those who may even know a great deal about Windows, but are not well-versed in other key aspects of the IT world, such as testing, documentation, software design, making backups, communicating effectively through email and creating networks (to name just a few items off the top of my head). For every professional that specializes in Windows, there are 100 amateurs.

I've found that those who become professional IT workers begin to realize that Windows isn't the best platform on which to pursue their goals. They then become familiar with other platforms, and their value increases.

Experienced IT workers can run a Windows-only shop as they would any other: with well-tested, documented configurations, properly backed up, with a network that can be expanded without downtime, and users that get the answers they need without tearing their hair out (for instance).

However, when you try to run a cheap IT shop by hiring cheap IT workers, you will end up systems that crash. You end up with two or three enormous servers doing everything because it's nice and cheap to keep it going. And when one of those servers goes down, a proportionately large amount of your customers will be unhappy. While it may be cheaper to buy one enormous server instead of a few big servers, remember: you get what you pay for.

My story: I have been using Windows since 1993 (and DOS well before that). I started playing with Linux in 1995, and started using it on servers in 1998. I've administered Windows servers, deployed Windows workstations, designed and built networks, run cables, supported users, managed traditional and IP PBX systems, and written software for DOS, Windows, Linux, and a number of applications that I'd rather forget.

I became a Mac user about two years ago, and I currently administer Linux and Mac servers.

JetBlue Systems Crash

I have been using JetBlue about once a month for more than a year. And, as I sat in an airport terminal in early November, I felt it the right time to vent about my problems with JetBlue. Here is my story:

In March, I posted a review of JetBlue on Yelp, describing my issues. I have encountered the same issues multiple times, and yet a search on Google will turn up next to nothing about JetBlue's computer troubles. Here's my review:

My favorite airline without a doubt. Friendly crews, comfortable accomodations, relatively inexpensive fares.

My only complaints are IT-related. They seem to have serious reliability issues. I don't think it's a coincidence that they are publicly a Microsoft-only IT shop. Twice that I know of this year, their systems have gone down.

I was in Columbus, and the plane was seriously delayed. They didn't know when the plane would be in. They were able to tell me that my connecting flight to San Jose was going to be late, because its plane was still on the ground elsewhere. Before we boarded in Columbus, I asked them to check the status of my connecting flght. They couldn't as their terminal had stopped working. I called the airline's main number, but the automated system said that they were under heavy call volume and to try again later. It then hung up on me.

The JetBlue website told me that my flight didn't exist. Seriously. All flights that I looked up on their website came back with an empty list and a message that such a flight was not happening on the date I provided.

I ended up taking my flight to JFK. When I landed I found out that my flight out of JFK had left on time--they had found a different plane to take the flight. Wonderful.

The evening was spent in the JFK terminal, which was standing-room-only. The Wi-Fi didn't work, apparently because there was too much load. (It wasn't giving out addresses, so either the Windows server that runs it had crashed, or it didn't have enough addresses to hand out.) It worked later, after most of the people had gotten on their flights and I was one of 30 people left in the terminal.

I got rescheduled for the next flight to San Jose, which was, amazingly, 24 hours after the one I missed. They weren't willing to give me a hotel room because they said the delay was weather-related. (Note that the delay was weather-related, but my being stuck in New York instead of near home was because of them.) It wasn't until later that night that I realized that they could take me to Oakland and SFO. All I had to do was rent a car in Oakland and take it back to San Jose, which cost me a hundred bucks.

I continue to fly JetBlue, even though I fly into Columbus and rent a car to get to Cincinnati, which is my second home. It's cheaper than flying Delta into Cincinnati, and it's a nicer flight.

I have also decided that Winter is a problem for JetBlue. Both of their hub airports are in the Northeast US, and when bad weather strikes New York, it's likely to strike Boston. I was almost caught in the infamous ordeal in February where JetBlue customers were stuck in planes at JFK, but I got re-routed at the last minute to Boston a few hours before my flight. According to what I've seen, the problems at JFK were also IT-related.

What would make the airline better? Get some reliable systems! Standardization on a single platform *can* save you money...pick a RELIABLE platform on which to standardize!

Here's my update: In May, JetBlue changed their flight schedule and essentially eliminated me as a customer. The only flight I could take to get to San Jose left at 6:00 AM, which meant I would have to be at the airport at 5:00. This meant I would have to leave home at 3:00AM to make the flight.

I've been flying Delta for the last six months. None of their systems crashed. Their flights were always on time, with only one exception, which they handled with ease.

So today I'm taking my returning home on my first JetBlue flight in six months. I arrived late, which was my fault.

(Apparently their policy is to allow the flight to leave 15 minutes early as long as everyone has checked in. So even though I wasn't on the plane, they could leave early because I had checked in online. Despite the fact that this policy is not documented anywhere, including at the gate, where it says "Arrive 10 minutes before the flight leaves". I arrived at the gate, according to their clock, 17 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave. I watched them pull the jetway back after I had been there for 5 minutes, banging on the door.)

So after finding out that there's not another connecting flight today, I resigned to find another flight back. After doing a little research I found that I can get a JetBlue flight to a nearby airport (SFO instead of SJC) and that it will leave today! Great! So I called 1-800-JETBLUE to book the travel (because you can't apply a credit online). After waiting on hold for 10 minutes, I'm told by the girl that answered that their "booking system has crashed", and they're asking customers to call back in 30 minutes.

How can an airline run on systems that are constantly crashing and broken? While IT failures probably occur at all airlines, JetBlue sure seems to enjoy far more of them than any other airline with which I've dealt.

JetBlue is publicly a Microsoft Windows-only operation. They are proud of this.

Time Machine Error

As much as I love Leopard I still have a few issues. While this isn't the worst of those issues, it is the most obvious and easy to document.

I get this error every hour when Time Machine starts its backup process:

However, here are my preferences:

With only 35G of space set to be backed up, Time Machine should have no problem. Alas.