Reborn Tech Maniac

Chapter 222 Portable Personal Computer

The entire EA arena is in view, and there is quite a kind of heroic mind of "seeing all the mountains and small things at a glance".

Looking at the high-spirited expressions on the faces of Hawkins and several senior executives, Tang Huan smiled lightly, "Thousands of years ago, there was a systematic method of divination using binary combinations in China - "Book of Changes", in which there was a hexagram , for Shangjiu, Kanglong has regrets, in terms of people, it means that people in high positions should guard against arrogance, otherwise they will regret because of failure; in terms of things, profits cannot last long, such as the stock market , Bull market, bear market, always ups and downs appear alternately."

Needless to say, the IQs of everyone present, Hawkins' face turned serious, "You mean, we must not be blindly optimistic about the current boom in the game console market, and we must maintain a vigilant attitude."

"That's what it means." Tang Huan nodded appreciatively, "So, I hope this team, in addition to providing us with advertising effects, can also help us consolidate the loyalty of gamers."

"Currently, other game console platforms either encourage or open game program development authorization by default. We have been closed like this, and the industry has been regarded as extremely conservative and lacks long-term development momentum. It is really loud." Hawkins grumbled angrily.

Tang Huan moved his gaze to the big lawn under the sun unmoved, "There is no need to pay attention to the comments of outsiders. The video game market is a new thing and lacks industry rules. After paying the tuition fees, labor pain is unavoidable. You guys Look, it is estimated that in addition to various low-quality games that will turn players off, there may also be games involving sensitive themes such as crime and racial discrimination. Those who enter this field with their minds will not be interested in maintaining the healthy rules of the game market, we don’t need to go into this muddy water, just stick to the existing strategy.”
For Tang Huan's prediction, some people inevitably feel that it is too mysterious, but no one dares to question the authority of this boss, and Nuonuo said yes.

Tang Huan pointed to the densely packed seats in the stadium stands and said to Cogan: "I have seen the ticket pricing, but it is not user-friendly enough. Let's discuss it with the venue manager and make adjustments to try to attract more fans to the stadium. Popularity is such a thing Sometimes it’s amazing.”

Cogan smiled disrespectfully, "Then I have to bully the financially strapped City Hall again."

"Just see here." Tang Huan turned and walked towards the parking lot.

"By the way, there is one more thing." Cogan said in a low voice: "Didn't Shennong Fund recently discuss with a sporting goods company in Oregon, Nike, about subscribing for Class B shares? Phil Knight, the founder of the other party, heard that we There’s a football team, trying to sell their product, it’s not going to affect the investment.”

"This Fairlet is also quite good at taking advantage of loopholes." Tang Huan waved his hand indifferently, "The purpose of this investment is very simple. You can make a decision based on whether their products are suitable or not."

Nike did not become an official company until 1972. Like Apple, Shennong Fund, which has a lot of funds in its hands, will naturally not miss the IPO this year. Not to mention that Nike has not developed to the level of its previous life. Height, Tang Huan didn't need to stretch his hands so long.

"Then I'll leave it to the top Harvard students who come to Shennong Fund for summer internships." Old Kegan saw that Tang Huan didn't care, so he also delegated power.

As the number of companies under Tang Huan's name increased, Zhuang Menghua's opportunities for vacation internships also increased. In addition to being gilded, he also brought or recommended classmates. The aggressive little girl was burdened, and Deng Lijun was asked to share part of the work in preparation for her concert in San Francisco.

……

Because the "Wall Street Journal" reported a large number of patents currently owned by Zheru, Tang Huan further strengthened the company's security measures in the next few days and made some improvements to some office procedures, which naturally attracted some employees. Complaints due to incompatibility.

Tang Huan simply held a meeting and said solemnly: "Don't just think that the world is peaceful just because of how good life is now. Compared with IBM, which has a stock market value of tens of billions, we are scum. The technology just hasn’t been noticed yet, and it just took the lead in the market. Zheru’s conclusion is only 6 months away from bankruptcy, and it will always be valid. For the long-term interests of everyone, everyone must adapt to the new rules and regulations.”

Tang Huan privately guessed that some Wall Street bankers might have exerted some influence on the media after confirming the value of Apple. Purpose is fine.

This kind of manipulation of public opinion, just like the lotus flowers of the stock market commentators, has subtly attracted the public investors.

It's just that a great financial newspaper like the "Wall Street Journal" also cherishes its feathers, and naturally strives to be authoritative and in-depth when reporting. Only then did it dig out the inside story of Zheru.

Just as Tang Huan expected, Zheru's foreign visitors have gradually increased recently. On the surface, they all come to care about Zheru's new product development plan, but the actual purpose is unknown.

On this day, Tang Huan was in the EA game development department and watched Shigeru Miyamoto demonstrate the completed "Mario". market?
In fact, even in the original time and space, when the famous "Mario" came out, it was not as shocking as Monkey King's birth, and the fame was slowly hyped up with the accumulation of market popularity. Came into the world even more unremarkably.

Tang Huan pondered for a while, patted Shigeru Miyamoto on the shoulder and said, "Let's arrange for the launch of Mario. You are also ready to return to Japan. I need you to be in charge of the game program development work there."

Shigeru Miyamoto has been brainwashed to the point where, with the current loyalty, even if Nintendo and Hiroshi Yamauchi came to attack the wall, Tang Huan was confident that the other party would return home without a feather.

In Japan, Shigeru Miyamoto can play a greater role.

Well, with this child's temperament, quickly find him a wife, start a family and start a business, the tie will be even tighter.

Hearing that he could go back to Japan, Shigeru Miyamoto couldn't help smiling, completely unaware of the boss in front of him, thinking how to hold him more firmly.

At this time, a department came to report that Adam Osborne, the columnist of the magazine "Interface Age" and a well-known industry observer, came to visit.

Tang Huan raised his eyebrows. Why did he come here? I really can't neglect it, because the person who launched the first portable personal computer Osborne 1981 in 1 in time and space was Adam Osborne.

In terms of seniority, Adam Osborne can be considered an old man in Silicon Valley. The manual and related technical articles of Intel's first microprocessor chip Intel 4004 came from this person.

Taking this opportunity, Adam Osborne established a publishing company, Osborne Associates. In the following five years, the company published more than 40 technical books, 12 of which were written by Adam Osborne himself.

In 1979, Adam Osborne sold his publishing company to McGraw-Hill, the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, and then became a columnist, gaining even more fame.

In addition to a simple analysis of chip technology and hardware products in the column, Adam Osborn also mercilessly exposed the inside story of the industry at the current stage. Advance money to continue developing the mess of work.

Almost all idols in the PC industry, including Tang Huan, have been criticized by Adam Osborn.

However, Adam Osborn is not completely grandstanding, he does have something to say, and this person is a member of Mensa International whose IQ is the only membership criterion.

When I saw the 41-year-old Adam Osborne, he was not as cold-eyed as he was in the magazine, but he was very friendly. Obviously, apart from his high IQ, he also had a high EQ. "The rules of conduct are quite in place.

In fact, even if Adam Osborn criticized Tang Huan in his column, he was more tactful.

The main cause of the incident was that Zheru and Apple used software and hardware respectively to jointly form a faint monopoly in the emerging personal computer industry.

However, Zheru selectively announced the specifications and interfaces of some of his own products, as well as original technologies with industry standards, especially the introduction of the Z80 expansion card, which allowed the software on the CP/M platform to run on the Apple II platform. He was silent on this aspect, and even turned to praise it.

After the pleasantries, Adam Osborne said straight to the point: "I learned from the newspaper that Zheru currently holds many patents, all of which seem to be related to microcomputers."

"It's just to better run the software on the Apple computer platform." Tang Huan laughed.

Adam Osborn shook his head with a serious face, "You may not want to say more because of business reasons, but in the eyes of interested people, especially those in the industry, it is far from that simple, such as the one called the ISA bus design."

"I'm ashamed, I underestimated the heroes of the world." Tang Huan shook his head with a smile, and then stopped talking. What kind of medicine are they selling?

Seeing that Tang Huan was so calm, Adam Osborn naturally had no capital to spend, so he could only continue to ask, "Does Zheru sell the personal computers designed and produced by himself in Asia?"

"Indeed." Tang Huan nodded frankly. He had nothing to hide. Advertisements in more than a dozen languages ​​were published, but the North American region boycotted the Moscow Olympics too thoroughly and did not broadcast it. Japan, Europe, and Latin America , Australia can be seen directly.

"The Fangyuan computer should be a personal computer similar to the Apple II." Adam Osborn looked at Tang Huan and made a gesture, "I mean, they are all placed on the desk and are not very convenient to move around." kind of computer."

"Yes, it's not a portable personal computer." The smile on Tang Huan's face widened, and he vaguely guessed the purpose of Adam Osborn's visit this time.

Hearing Tang Huan say "portable personal computer", Adam Osborn was stunned, and then a look of frustration flashed across his face, "Tang seems to have thought about the concept of portable personal computer for a long time."

"Just like cars and airplanes in the industrial age, similar concepts have existed in people's minds for a long time before they were invented. There is nothing surprising." Tang Huan shook his head disapprovingly.

"I thought it would take some time for you to understand the concept, and then see if everyone can cooperate." Adam Osborne sighed, "Especially after seeing the patent of the ISA bus, I There is an intuition, which can save a lot of effort in the whole implementation process."

"It turns out that you came to me for this matter." Tang Huan pretended to be enlightened, "It seems that you have a lot of ideas about portable personal computers, and everyone can cooperate. As an angel investor, I personally Invest."

The smile on Tang Huan's face is somewhat intriguing. There is no other reason. Unlike software, untimely launch of hardware is more risky. Tang Huan does not intend to compete with Adam Osborn for the title of the world's first portable computer inventor. , this person’s Osborne 1 is only a flash in the pan, so it’s not a bad idea to be the first person to explore the way. It’s right to spend a little money to experience a rare and valuable experiment in person.

Apparently, Adam Osborn did not expect Tang Huan to be so happy. The draft prepared in advance was held in his stomach, and he didn't know how to change the topic for a while.

"Needless to say, the concept of a portable personal computer is very attractive, but in order to be accepted by the market smoothly, the cost must first be controlled." Tang Huan raised his hand and wrenched his fingers and said, "Word processing software and spreadsheet software, Zheru doesn’t need licensing fees, or it can provide some funds for early development. As for the operating system and programming language, you have to figure out your own way.”

"Don, you are really special. I didn't expect this trip to be so smooth." Adam Osborn said with joy on his face, "However, I hope that after I find an engineer to implement the plan, I can use the technology of the ISA bus .”

"Why do you attach so much importance to the bus?" Tang Huan couldn't help being curious when he saw that Adam Osborn was so obsessed with the ISA bus.

"In the mid-1970s, the bus battle between MITS and other manufacturers is still vivid in my mind, and I naturally have a certain understanding of its importance." Adam Osborne replied with a look of reminiscence.

It turned out that the Altair, the first personal computer invented by MITS at that time, had a general structure of a large circuit board, that is, the prototype of the later motherboard, which was assembled by connecting CPU circuit boards, memory circuit boards, etc. through slots. , MITS boss Roberts called the system the "Altair bus" and asked others to do the same.

Because if Altair wants to use Microsoft BASIC, it must have 4K memory, but the 4K memory circuit board designed by Roberts has serious defects and is basically a waste product. Rapidly increase sales of the low-cost Altair, thereby boosting profits and improving the company's financial position.

MITS is not IBM, the blue giant, and it can be said to be the same in the industry, so other microcomputer manufacturers simply ignored Roberts' stupid trick, and designed and manufactured their own 4K memory circuit boards in their own way, plugged into the Altair bus, so that the Altair computer can be used Microsoft BASIC.

For this behavior of grabbing food, Roberts was very angry, and disputes between them also ensued.

Seeing this situation, other microcomputer manufacturers resorted to bad tactics one after another, and named the so-called buses after their own names. In fact, they are all compatible with the Altair bus. After all, the circuit implementation of the Altair bus is not too high. The technical threshold, copycats are quickly developed, and the bus has thus become the focus of competition between MITS and most companies in the microcomputer industry.

It can be said that naming the bus typically reflects the peculiar phenomenon of competition and cooperation in the emerging computer industry.

Harry Garland and Roger Mellen of Stanford University were about to launch a CPU board for the Altair bus, but they were unwilling to call it with the names of a long list of competing companies, so they reached a consensus, that is The bus name should not be linked to any company name, and the name should make it known that it is a well-designed product.

For example, the name could consist of a letter and some numbers.They liked the name "Standard 100," which could be shortened to "S100," according to their proposed naming scheme.

Various manufacturers also felt that arguing all day long for a name was really annoying, so they slowly admitted the name.

For Adam Osborne, a veteran in Silicon Valley, this period of history is naturally familiar to everyone. At the same time, he also understands how convenient it will be to design a personal computer and a mature bus.

While Tang Huan and Adam Osborn were discussing portable personal computers and ISA buses with great interest, Bill Lowell, the head of the chess project, was working with the elite soldiers he had selected in a research and development center in Boca Raton, Florida. Ladies and gentlemen, they frowned as they looked at the documents in their hands.

(End of this chapter)