Reborn Tech Maniac

Chapter 740 Pass Tang Huan

It is precisely because of his dedication to the software business that Gates can best appreciate the strength of Zheru in this field.

Its first commercial software, the spreadsheet program CGrid, was not only a starting point, but also pioneered in the industry and became one of the most profitable applications. It is present in 90.00% of Fangyuan computers with five or more.

The competition in the field of electronic spreadsheet software is very fierce. Since CGrid opened the door, in just a few years, more than ten similar products have appeared and entered this market to share.

CGrid first drove the monthly sales of Apple II to quickly exceed 10000 units, and then helped Apple's IPO to be a great success. Then it concentrated on assisting Fangyuan Computer in conquering the city and repelled all peers who coveted this platform. The exclusive Fangyuan Computer standard gradually became mainstream. The huge copy demand brought about.

The achievement of this achievement is not due to the special relationship between philosophers and Fangyuan, but CGrid has always been in the forefront of the industry - the optimization of execution efficiency, the richness of mathematical functions, the improvement of cross-examination relationships, the mining of deep data...etc. On the other hand, colleagues can only learn from others.

After CGrid, Zheru launched the word processing software WordEasy, the database management system EBase, the slideshow software PowerPresenter, etc., and developed a complete set of Zheru office software family, and once again achieved the height that a suite should possess. Integration, such as consistency on the user interface of each software, mutual reference of data, etc.

Microsoft's Excel and Word are currently busy making their functions more powerful and have not bothered to integrate them from the perspective of the entire office software suite; Lotus has achieved this, but at the cost of too much money. time and resources, thereby losing part of the market.Otherwise, Microsoft will not get a chance to breathe.

The office software market structure on the Fangyuan computer platform, except for word processing software, WordEasy and WordStar and WordPorfect, which are known for supporting many hardware platforms, coexist, spreadsheets, databases, slideshows and other fields are almost exclusive.

This strength is even influencing today's office automation in a subtle way - whether you are willing to accept it or not, you cannot refuse this trend.

Just like when Microsoft itself holds a meeting, it can no longer do without Zheru Slide System's package of office solutions from software PowerPresenter to hardware projectors.

As for the Zheru database management system EBase, it is even more remarkable. Not only has it participated in standardizing the database query language—the industry standard of SQL, but it has also created a glittering enterprise management software company—PeopleSoft.

However, these brilliant achievements in the field of office software are only part of the Zheru Software Kingdom. It also has an industry status that cannot be ignored in graphics, audio, video, network, operating system, chip, industrial control, telecommunications, etc.

To be more precise, Zheru is no longer limited to the concept of a simple software company.That Zheru R&D center always has an endless stream of technological achievements emerging, which in turn makes Zheru's tentacles continue to extend to various fields.

Facing such a powerful philosopher, no matter how aggressive Gates is, the idea of ​​competing with him can only be deeply buried in his heart.Even when Zheru Office software finally decided that the macro language used a specific version of PASCAL and Microsoft BASIC was excluded, he dared not show dissatisfaction.

Gates is more willing to look for successful experience from Zheru that he can learn from. For example, after Zheru office software completes the suite integration, individual competitors such as WordStar and WordPorfect will lose their advantages; Macro language excludes Microsoft's BASIC. Although Gates is sour in his heart, he has to admit that the other party played beautifully. As soon as the secret agreement between himself and Tang Huan expired earlier, the benefits promised to Microsoft's BASIC were taken back. It's so clean.

The just-released studioOS1988 is the second major version of studioOS, which brings a better experience to the graphical user interface of the Fangyuan computer platform.Zheru has been doing his best to guide third-party software developers to smoothly transition into this new environment.

For such an opportunity to change the rules and reshuffle the landscape, the meaning and role of the leap may not be obvious to philosophers who are already leaders in the software industry, but it is different for Microsoft.

Gates suddenly thought that if Windows could successfully succeed MS-DOS, then the current dominance of application software in the MS-DOS environment by his close friend Lotus would no longer exist.Everyone is on the same starting line in the Windows environment, and even Microsoft, which developed Windows, has inherent technical advantages.Excel, which prefers to be on the Apple MAC platform, can return to the IBM-PC platform in a magnificent way and re-compete for the spreadsheet market that was lost due to the previous loss of MultiPlan to Lotus 1-2-3.

From this promotion, Microsoft can follow the example of philosophers and unify the office software market on the IBM-PC platform. Although IBM-PC lost to Fangyuan PC in the personal computer standard war, the number of users stuck through applications over the years , there is still room for survival, coupled with the market share of office software on Apple's MAC platform, it is enough for Microsoft to eat.

The more he pondered, the more excited Gates looked at the exquisite interface of studioOS1988 on the prototype, and couldn't help being annoyed at the fact that Windows, which was developed under the pressure of IBM, was too disappointing.

Windows 1985, which was released in the second half of 1.0, aimed to regain the popularity of the graphical user interface operating system that VisiCorp first launched on the IBM-PC platform through VisiON. The market initiative has been taken back.

Windows 1.0 is technically incompetent, it is not an independent operating system, and its underlying functions rely heavily on MS-DOS.

The bigger trouble lies in the patent dispute between Microsoft and Apple, which even restricts multiple windows of Windows from overlapping each other and can only be tiled on the screen.

Of course Gates would not be so honest. He made Windows 1987, released in 2.0, draw more on the interface of Apple's MAC, including window overlap - studioOS also supports window overlap, so I would have dismissed it in advance.

In fact, these things that Apple and Microsoft are arguing about are just superficial. How can the technical background required for the operating system be so superficial?Product competition ultimately returns to how to provide an excellent mechanism for managing important resources such as processors, memory, and disks.

Take the Intel x86 series microprocessors that are only supported by MS-DOS and Windows, Intel80286 designed a new Memory_Management_Unit——Memory Management Unit or MMU, and then provided a new memory management mode——Protected Mode Multitasking support; Intel80386 has undergone a major upgrade, from a 16-bit architecture to a 32-bit architecture, and added a virtual mode, and also uses an external cache to solve the memory speed bottleneck; Intel80486 improves the external cache to a built-in The cache is integrated into the FloatingPointUnit-the floating-point unit is the FPU.

It is not difficult to see that Intel has been sparing no effort to develop products and add various new features after putting its own destiny on the microprocessor business.

可微软的Windows还无法加以深入利用，今年又没什么反响地推出的Windows2.1x版本分成了两个分支——Windows/286和Windows/386。前者主要解决的问题是如何访问High_Memory_Area——高端内存区即HMA，也就是1024KB至1088KB之间的64KB内存，以及更多的Expanded_Memory——扩展内存；后者主要解决的问题是充分利用Intel80386的三个内存模式。

The reason why Windows research and development is still at such a "superficial" level is that, in addition to the various limitations caused by the inherent deficiencies in the architecture design of IBM-PC, there are also factors of Microsoft's own poor technical strength.

If you look at the combination of the fourth generation Fangyuan personal computers - MMX and studioOS1988, both of which can play VCDs and 2D video games smoothly, you will know the gap between the two systems.

Gates was comparing studioOS1988 and mentally planning his own Windows, when he heard Rod Kenyon walking over and whispered: "It seems that Fangyuan Computer Company is making very fast progress in developing the new Intel 80486 model. .”

"It's not enough." Gates replied teasingly, "The prototype equipped with MC68040 still runs stably."

Rod Kenyon nodded, "While we are catching up with Fangyuan Computer Company in hardware research and development, Microsoft Windows must also work hard to improve. Otherwise, the combination of IBM-PC compatibles and Windows will be far inferior. It’s the combination of Fangyuan PC and studioOS.”

"Don't you still have NeXT's NeXTSTEP to choose from?" Gates is still brooding about the IBM-PC compatible camp headed by Compaq and Jobs' flirtatious flirtations——IBM doesn't know which cramp. This trick hit me, why are you all joining in the fun?
Rod Kenyon was a bit awkward with words, but that was why he often spoke directly.He said in business without embarrassment: "NeXTSTEP is indeed better than Windows. If Jobs can make it support Intel80486 earlier than Windows, I believe that not only Compaq will fall into the arms of NeXTSTEP."

"Windows 286, which combines Windows/386 and Windows/2.11, will be released next year at the latest." Gates sneered disdainfully, "If you are not afraid of Jobs habitually writing empty checks, then just use the graphical user interface The system's hope is placed on him."

Rod Kenyon continued unmoved according to his own ideas: "Even if Windows 2.11 is launched now, it will definitely not be able to compete with studioOS1988. It is better to focus on full support for the upcoming Intel80486. Perhaps, Microsoft should Actively contact Intel and have more communication on the technical aspects."

For Rod Kenyon's suggestion, Gates gave a hey and did not make any further comments.

Microsoft Windows, to take the initiative to accommodate Intel's Intel80486?

Save it, Microsoft would rather spend more time on the already relatively perfect Intel80386.

Microsoft in the field of operating systems and Intel in the field of microprocessors have disliked each other for many years. It can be traced back to around the launch of Intel80286.

At that time, the Intel 80286, which added protection mode, had a large number of bugs, which brought a non-negligible impact on the development of the new generation of IBM-PC/AT, especially when it came to the new version of MS-DOS that called a large number of underlying hardware. Research and development is suffering even more.

As a result, Zheru, Fangyuan, IBM, Microsoft and other companies had to help Intel80286 catch bugs.

Zheru and Fangyuan are relatively calm. After all, in addition to the Intel80286 product branch, there is also the MC68000 branch available.

But IBM and Microsoft, which had only one choice, could not calm down, so Gates, who was extremely annoyed, unceremoniously criticized publicly: Intel80286 is a "brain fragment".

As a result, it is conceivable that Andy Grove is also a fierce man, how could he stand up to Gates' cynicism, and the relationship between the two companies became tense.

According to past experience, the BUG of Intel80486 is also indispensable.Therefore, the troubled Gates felt that it is better to wait until Intel has almost perfected the Intel80486, and he can't take the initiative to come to the door.

(End of this chapter)