Rebirth of the Tech Madman

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, CGrid, a spreadsheet program, is not only a pioneering work, but also a pioneer in the industry, and has become one of the most profitable application software. More than 95% of Fangyuan computers have it.

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 10,000 units, and then helped Apple's IPO to be a big success, and then concentrated on assisting Fangyuan Computer to conquer the city, and repelled all the peers who coveted this platform, and the exclusive Fangyuan computer standard gradually became the mainstream. The huge copy demand brought about.

The achievement of this achievement is not based on the special relationship between philosophers and Fangyuan, but that 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 still busy with how to make their functions more powerful, and they don't care about integrating them from the perspective of the entire office software suite; Lotus has done this, but at a cost of too much time and resources, thus losing part of the market. Otherwise, Microsoft will not get a respite.

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 kind of strength is even subtly affecting today's office automation-whether you are willing to accept it or not, you cannot refuse this trend.

Just like when Microsoft held its own meeting, it was already inseparable from Zheru slide system's package of office solutions from software PowerPresenter to hardware projector.

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.

But these brilliant achievements in the field of office software are only part of the philosophy software kingdom, which 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 not limited to the concept of a pure software company. The Zheru research and development center always has an endless stream of technological achievements, which 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.

Just officially released, it is the second major version of Yes, 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 immediately thought that if Windows could successfully succeed MS-DOS, then the confidant Lotus Company's current dominance in application software in the MS-DOS environment 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 resides on the Apple MAC platform, can return to the IBM-PC platform magnificently, and regain the spreadsheet market that was lost due to the previous loss of MultiPlan to Lotus1-2-3.

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 sticking to it 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 on the prototype, and couldn't help being annoyed at the fact that Windows, which was being developed under the pressure of IBM, was too disappointing.

Windows 1.0, which was released in the second half of 1985, aimed to regain the popularity of the graphical user interface operating system that was first launched on the IBM-PC platform. Although it was widely evaluated as a poor product, it still took the initiative to market The right was 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 will not be so honest. He made Windows 2.0, which was released in 1987, borrow more from the interface of Apple's MAC, including window overlapping-it also supports window overlapping.

In fact, these things that Apple and Microsoft are arguing about are just superficial. How can the technical background required by the operating system be so superficial? The product competition will eventually return 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_Ma_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.

But Microsoft's Windows can't be fully utilized yet, and the Windows 2.1x version launched this year without any response is divided into two branches-Windows/286 and Windows/386. The former mainly solves the problem of how to access High_Memory_Area——the high-end memory area is HMA, which is 64KB of memory between 1024KB and 1088KB, and more Expanded_Memory——extended memory; the latter mainly solves the problem of making full use of the three memory model.

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.

Take a look at the four generations of Fangyuan personal computer-MMX and this combination, both of which can play VCD smoothly and play 2D video games, you can know the gap between the two systems.

Gates was comparing, planning his own Windows in his mind, and then heard Rod Kenyon who came over whispered: It seems that Fangyuan Computer Company is developing a new Intel80486 model, and the progress is very fast.

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 a combination of Yu Fangyuan’s personal computer and

Don't you still have the company's EP to choose from? Gates is still worried about the IBM-PC compatible camp headed by Compaq and Jobs' flirting - IBM doesn't know which muscle is cramped, and with this Hit me with one trick, why are you 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: EP 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 EP.

Windows 2.11, which combines Windows/286 and Windows/386, 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.

Unmoved, Rod Kenyon continued according to his own thinking: Even if Windows 2.11 is launched now, it will definitely not be able to compete with it. It is better to focus on the full support for the upcoming Intel 80486. Perhaps Microsoft should actively Find Intel and communicate with us on the technical level.”

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 product branch of Intel80286, there is also a branch of MC68000 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 was better to wait for Intel to almost perfect the Intel80486, and he couldn't take the initiative to come to the door. (To be continued.) ()