Rebirth of the American Super Boss Road

"Maybe I have some talent in computers," Li Hongfei replied while typing on the keyboard quickly: "In addition, I would like to thank Ms. Dunn for giving me this opportunity. If it weren't for Ms. Dunn's trust, I would not have asked the company An opportunity to showcase your talents.”

The person carrying the sedan chair is the one who carries people. Anyway, this opportunity was given to her by Laura Dern. Saying a few nice words to her at this time would be good for her and not bad for herself. Why not do it?

Laura Dern didn't expect that Zhang Qihang would take the initiative to speak for her. After being stunned for a moment, she suddenly smiled: "It's one thing for me to give you a chance, but the most important thing is your own efforts."

After listening to the conversation between Li Hongfei and Laura Dern, Gary Smith didn't think much about it and nodded in appreciation of Laura Dern's actions: "Ms. Dern, you did a good job."

The smile on Laura Dern's face became even brighter.

On the other hand, Gary Smith asked Li Hongfei with great interest: "Daniel, why didn't you tell the company before that you knew how to operate a computer?"

Speaking of this matter, Gary Smith felt a little depressed: If you had told me earlier, I could have saved the money for placing recruitment advertisements in newspapers, right?

Li Hongfei smiled sheepishly and said: "I just came to the company a year ago, and I am still in the stage of getting familiar with the situation and learning, and I didn't expect that it would be so difficult to recruit computer operators..."

Gary Smith felt that what Li Hongfei said was right. It was not just him, Daniel Li, who thought so. Didn't he also expect that this computer operator would be so difficult to recruit?He nodded and said: "Ms. Dunn told me your request. In this way, the period from now to the end of the month is your probation period. During the probation period, your salary based on your part-time computer operation will be calculated as $800. If your performance in this half-month satisfies me, then starting from next month, all of your jobs, including your original job, will become a full-time employee. Your salary after becoming a full-time employee will be US$1000+750, plus bonuses.

In addition, considering that you cannot do this job full-time, the company may decide in the future to allow you to continue part-time or to recruit a new computer operator separately, depending on the situation.

Of course, if one day in the future the company believes that it really needs a full-time computer operator, you can choose to change your job to a computer operator, or you can choose to continue to be an assistant accountant. What do you think of this arrangement? "

Li Hongfei nodded happily: "No problem, the treatment is very good, I am very satisfied."

Smith's conditions are fair, and he can continue to work part-time now, but if the company really needs a full-time computer operator, he should first give himself the opportunity to choose. With such conditions, what else can he be dissatisfied with?

"Then it's settled."

Gary Smith was delighted too.

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At 05:30 in the afternoon, Li Hongfei glanced around the store at Papa Sam's second-hand electrical appliance store, but didn't find what he wanted. He frowned and was about to turn around and leave.

Seeing Li Hongfei was about to leave, the chubby boss Sam asked casually: "Young man, don't you have what you want?"

"Well," Li Hongfei responded: "I want a computer, but you don't have one here..."

"Computer? Who said I don't have one? I'm telling you, young man, just come to Papa Sam's place to buy second-hand electrical appliances. I have the most complete range of electrical appliances in San Francisco. You won't find what you want here, I promise. You can't find it anywhere else," boss Sam boasted, picking up a scientific calculator from the shelf and handing it to Li Hongfei: "HP HP-21, produced in July 76, 7% new, original price 95 US dollars, the current price is only 125 US dollars, it is very convenient for company accounting or personal accounting;

And this one, the HP HP-67, was produced in early 77, just a year ago. Its appearance and performance are top-notch. To say it is 450 new is not an exaggeration at all. A new model costs US$350, but mine only costs US$[-]. …”

With that said, boss Sam placed the two computers in front of Li Hongfei and asked with a smile: "Young man, which one do you want?"

"No, no, no, yours is an electronic calculator, what I want is a calculator," Li Hongfei waved his hand and gestured to describe it: "There is a monitor like a TV, the kind produced by IBM, DEC or Wangan Computer. "

Sam suddenly understood, and waved his hands a little embarrassedly: "You're talking about that, I don't have that thing, it's too expensive."

Li Hongfei nodded. Sam didn't find it here, so he didn't find it strange. He planned to go to other second-hand electrical appliance stores to look for it.

After Gary Smith decided to become a part-time computer operator in the company, Li Hongfei decided to buy a computer of the same model and put it at home. It was not that he wanted to work overtime, but that he was ready to familiarize himself with and practice the computers of this era. Use - Although computers are not cheap, isn't a computer a necessary household appliance for web dogs?So there was no hesitation at all. Before getting off work, he decided to buy a computer. In addition, considering that the standards of personal computers in this era have not yet been unified, and the hottest personal computer at the moment is the wang2200 series of Wang An Company, Li Hongfei decided to buy a computer. Decided to buy one of the same model as the company's one.

In later generations, when talking about the development of personal computers, many people and even many media often describe "the three computers TRS-80, Apple II and PET2001 as milestone products in the history of personal computers" or "IBM5150 is the world's first With these words on their lips, basically no one would mention the Wang2200 series of Wang An Company, but in fact, throughout the mid-to-late 20s, but in 70, Wang An The company's wang1978 series is the most popular product in the field of personal computers in the world today, and no product from other companies can match it.

How popular are the Wang2200 series personal computers?

Let’s put it this way, this is the world’s most truly capable personal computer with editing and retrieval functions. It comes with a WPS word processing system. Wang An’s company even coined the term WPS: Word Processing System. It comes with a 9-inch monochrome With the display, users can modify and edit text on the display at any time, and can realize "what you see is what you print" when processing documents. At the time, this feature was unique.

American white-collar workers, especially those who deal with text all day long, are in great need of such a new office equipment. As a result, within a few months after the release of the wang2200 personal computer, the sales department of Wangan Company was flooded with orders for the wang2200. Personal computers have even entered the White House and are the most popular computer products of this era.

Because of the emergence of the wang2200 personal computer, IBM President Thomas Watson Jr. even fainted because of it. Although the real situation was that Thomas Watson Jr. was in the hospital due to myocardial infarction at the time, this incident itself illustrates the wang2200 computer. What a huge impact on IBM.

From 1972 to 1975, Wang An Company’s cumulative sales exceeded 1 wang2200 units in three years. By 1978, Wang An Company had become the largest personal computer manufacturer in the world. On the Internet, 5 out of 4 personal computers are wang2200. As for other IBM5100, AppleI/II, TRS-80, PET-2001, etc., we can only think of solutions for the remaining 20% ​​of the market—— In the mid to late 70s, wang2200 was so popular!

Of course, 1978 was also the last glorious era of the wang2200 series personal computers. Starting from 1979, with the rapid development of personal computers represented by Apple II, PET-2001 and TRS-80, the wang2200 series began to decline, but There is no doubt that at the beginning of 1978, wang2200 was the most popular personal computer product.

Since wang2200 is the most popular and has the most users, Li Hongfei naturally chose this model in this era when personal computer standards have not yet been unified.

As for the question of how Lin Hongfei, who had just started working and had not yet received his first month’s salary, had the money to buy an expensive computer, it was actually simple: in his first week of work, Fuguo The bank gave him a credit line of US$3000, plus the US$1500 he had saved since childhood, Li Hongfei now has almost US$4200, enough to buy a second-hand wang2200F.

By the way, the 1973 first-generation Ford Escort parked at the door was a gift from Li Hongfei’s father after he found out he had found a job.

Just as Li Hongfei was about to go out with a regretful look on his face, the boss Sam suddenly asked: "Young man, do you really want a computer like the one you mentioned? Is there a specific model?"

Li Hongfei was stunned for a moment, then asked: "Can you do it?"

Sam smiled mysteriously and said, "You can first tell me the model of computer you want, and I can call you and ask."

Li Hongfei immediately took out the instruction manual of the wang2200F borrowed from the company from his briefcase, pointed to the picture above and said to his boss Sam: "This is it, the Wang2200F of Wang An Company, you must bring the complete instruction manual."

"Wang2200F from Wang An Computer Company, right?" Sam glanced at the picture in the instruction manual, nodded, and then said: "I need to make a call to ask..."

Knowing what Sam meant, Li Hongfei nodded immediately: "As long as there is no problem with the machine, the supporting software and instruction manual are complete, and the price is right, I will definitely take it."

Sam smiled and nodded: "That's no problem."

He called out a man from the back room to look after the store for him, then he went inside and made a phone call.

Seeing this scene, Li Hongfei knew in his heart that the computer Sam was going to build was probably not very clean, but Li Hongfei didn't care much: these second-hand electrical appliance stores in the United States were engaged in selling stolen goods, and...whatever. , as long as Sam can find himself what he wants.