If Operating Systems Were Airlines

DOS Air:
Passengers walk out onto the runway, grab hold of the plane, push it until
it gets in the air, hop on, then jump off when it hits the ground.  They
grab the plane again, push it back into the air, hop on, jump off....

Mac Airways:
The cashiers, flight attendants, and pilots all look the same, talk the
same, and act the same.  When you ask them questions about the flight, they
reply that you don't want to know, don't need to know, and would you please
return to your seat and watch the movie.

Windows Airlines:
The terminal is neat and clean, the attendants courteous, the pilots capable. 
The fleet of Lear jets the carrier operates takes off without a hitch,
pushes above the clouds and, at 20,000 feet, explodes without warning.

Windows NT Air:
Just like Windows Air, but costs more, uses much bigger planes and takes out
all the other aircraft within a 40-mile radius when it explodes.

OS/2 Skyways:
The terminal is almost empty - only a few prospective passengers mill about. 
The announcer says that a flight has departed, although no planes appear to
be on the runway.  Airline personnel apologize profusely to customers in
hushed voices pointing from time to time to the sleek, powerful jets
outside.  They tell each passenger how great the flight will be on these new
jets and how much safer it will be than Windows Airlines, but they will have
to wait a little longer for the technicians to finish the flight systems. 
Maybe until mid-1995.  Maybe longer.

Unix Express:
Passengers bring a piece of the airplane and a box of tools with them to the
airport.  They gather on the tarmac, arguing about what kind of plane they
want to build.  The passengers split into groups and build several different
aircraft but give them all the same name.  Only some passengers reach their
destinations, but all of them believe thay arrived.

RiscOS Supersonic:
The airline only has one plane, the Acorn Concorde.  Peter, the sole
technician, who is also the pilot and flight attendant, delights in telling
passengers that the plane really will go supersonic when he can find the time
to design and build some new engines.  He tells impatient passengers that he
is negotiating a deal with Windows Airlines to use their Lear jets.  Life is
never dull with RiscOS.

Linux Air
Disgruntled employees of all the other OS airlines decide to start their own
airline.  They build the planes, ticket counters, and pave the runways
themselves.  They charge a small fee to cover the cost of printing the
ticket, but you can also download and print the ticket yourself.  When you
board the plane, you are given a seat, four bolts, a wrench and a copy of
the seat-HOWTO.html.  Once settled, the fully adjustable seat is very
comfortable, the plane leaves and arrives on time without a single problem,
the in-flight meal is wonderful.  You try to tell customers of the other
airlines about the great trip, but all they can say is, "You had to do what
with the seat?"