Reborn in the red age

Chapter 232 Collecting Apple’s royalties

Apple attaches great importance to this cooperation with Lemon Technology. When Fang Wanzhen passed the news, the company responded within two days and was willing to accept Lemon Technology's request and send the company's software engineers to China. Carry out cooperative research and development of operating systems.

The two parties had just confirmed their intention to cooperate over the phone. Apple's CEO and their technical director immediately took a plane to Lemon Technology's American headquarters in Silicon Valley and started negotiations on cooperative research and development of operating systems.

It’s no wonder that Apple is so impatient. The main reason is that this year the product that the company had high hopes for has been sold out. It cannot be sold in the market at all. It is beaten by IBM. Now it is in urgent need of a new product to make a breakthrough.

After a while, Apple has set its sights on Lemon PCs that have not yet entered the U.S. market. To be precise, it is the built-in operating system of Lemon PCs.

They also want to develop a graphical interface operating system, but the graphical interface technology has been copyrighted by Lemon Company and cannot be authorized by Lemon Company. If they develop a graphical interface system privately, Lemon Company can easily win any lawsuit against Apple. .

Of course, this is only a theoretical possibility.

After all, in the last life, after Apple took the lead in developing a graphical operating system, Microsoft followed suit and unceremoniously copied Apple's graphical interface system and made its own Windows 1.0 beta version.

After a series of various operations, Apple signed a graphical interface licensing contract in October 85, and released the official version of Windows 10 in November.

The main reason why Qingfeng Li agreed to license the graphical interface to Apple was that if Apple was really determined to copy it, Qingfeng Li would not be able to stop it.

In a rogue country like the United States, Apple has many ways to get Lemon Technology, a foreign company, to agree to license it to them.

It is said that it is organizing manpower outsourcing. In fact, it is asking the school to organize some senior students or graduate students to participate. After all, the teachers and professors of Peking University have been recruited by Li Qingfeng, and they are paid by Lemon Technology. In this project, they will not Count the school's manpower.

After being stunned, Li Qingfeng felt deep admiration for this group of older generation professors.

The worst case scenario is a lawsuit. With the protection of the U.S. courts, we can fight Lemon Technology for ten to twenty years. We can make our own products while fighting the lawsuit. Nothing will be affected except our reputation.

"Qingfeng, don't say anything. Don't worry. I will personally lead the team this time and carefully select a group of elite soldiers from the graduate students. You know the level of the school's computer software. I will definitely do it for you. She's beautiful," Dean Qian said excitedly, holding Qingfeng Li's hand.

Although Apple is anxious now, it is not taken advantage of. After some heated negotiations, the two parties finally obtained the license for the graphical interface for US$700,000.

"Yes, the professors donated the US dollars you gave them and used them all to buy equipment and support the school's scientific research."

Most of the teachers and professors in the School of Computer Science were working part-time at the research institute. The fact that Lemon Company was coming to cooperate in developing an operating system could not be hidden from anyone. Soon the school leaders learned of the news. Dean Qian called Qingfeng Li into the office. Ask for the news.

After the two parties negotiated copyright fees and software development fees, Apple immediately organized their software engineers to fly to the capital with some information.

Qingfeng Li looked at Dean Qian speechlessly: "You are a bit utilitarian, aren't you?"

Looking at Dean Qian serving him tea and water, Qingfeng Li nodded with a smile on his face: "Yes, what about the flight tomorrow afternoon? What do you think?"

"Teacher Li, you said that the American Apple Company is coming to our school to cooperate in developing a project, right?"

This was the first time that Qingfeng Li had heard about this matter. If Dean Qian hadn't complained about it, Qingfeng Li would never have known that such a thing existed.

Instead of making trouble in the end and still being copied by Apple, it is better to form a good relationship with Apple now and collect a large amount of licensing fees by the way.

Listening to Dean Qian's rambling speech, Li Qingfeng raised his forehead and said helplessly: "Dean Qian, if you have any questions, you'd better just tell me."

Dean Qian did not answer Qingfeng Li's question directly, but looked back with a sigh on the days before computers.

"Apple, their Apple ll computer used to be a treasure in China. It was the machine that major universities begged their grandparents to get. I still remember that the first personal computer I came into contact with was the Apple ll. .”

After thinking for a while, he nodded and agreed to Dean Qian's request. Not only could the name of Peking University be used in this project, but Dean Qian could also organize manpower to participate and outsource some projects to the school, and the three parties would work together to complete the project. An operating system.

"Wait a minute." Li Qingfeng interrupted Dean Qin's complaint, frowned and asked in disbelief: "All the teachers' salaries from part-time jobs in the institute have been donated?"

"Ahem, that's what it is," Dean Qian rubbed his hands in embarrassment and said, "Can you involve the school in your cooperation this time and let the school have a name for it? "

After two years of training in Silicon Valley, this little mixed-race girl is no longer the little girl who earned money for running errands. Seeing Apple being so eager, she naturally realized the predicament Apple was in, and immediately asked the lion loudly. Apple demanded a million dollars in licensing fees.

"There is no way. The country is short of money now, and scientific research funds have never been sufficient. So many units are asking for money, and they don't let satellites fly. How can we get more scientific research funds? The few dollars the school teachers earn from you are all I donated to the school free of charge to buy imported equipment, life is hard," Dean Qian spread his hands and said helplessly.

Dean Qian is right. Although Peking University is not ranked among international universities in the field of computer software, it is definitely the strongest in China.

For no other reason, Li Qingfeng donated a lot of foreign exchange and related equipment to the School of Computer Science, including two IBM mainframe computers.

While students from other schools only use computers a few times a year, Peking University already has extra machines in the library for students to visit and study. Students majoring in computer science are guaranteed to use the computers every week for practical exercises.

Not to mention that since the establishment of the Institute of Software Engineering and the Institute of Microelectronics, Lemon Technology has also invested a lot of R&D funds in the school's computer research institute, promoting the great strides of Peking University in the computer industry.

The teachers and professors of the school have taken their graduate students to participate in many Lemon Technology software and hardware projects, accumulating rich R&D experience and being exposed to many advanced international technologies.

In this year, Peking University's research in the field of computers has made rapid progress. Papers have been published one after another, and relevant research results have appeared frequently, attracting a lot of attention internationally.

After negotiating with the school, Dean Qian immediately went out to mobilize his troops and let each professor select his own outstanding students. In just one afternoon, fifteen outstanding students were selected from all the graduate students in the school.

After finishing his work with the students, Dean Qian started contacting reporters, superior units, and the computer bureau without stopping.

Qingfeng Li was too lazy to get involved in this kind of thing and asked Ding Guangqing to arrange for someone to pick them up at the airport tomorrow afternoon, then leave the school and go to the hospital to pick up Hu Jiabao from get off work. Since Hu Jiabao entered the seventh week of pregnancy, he started to have obvious early pregnancy reactions, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness and other obvious symptoms. He vomited whatever he ate, which made Qingfeng Li feel heartbroken.

There is no medicine that can treat this situation, and Li Qingfeng has no good solution. He can only make Hu Jiabao happy as much as possible and keep her in a good mood.

"You had such a good appetite a few days ago, and now you are vomiting whatever you eat. How can you do this?" Looking at Hu Jiabao who was holding a spittoon and vomiting after not taking a few mouthfuls, Li Qingfeng patted his back and felt heartbroken. said.

After the vomiting ended, Hu Jiabao wiped his mouth and forced a smile: "This is an early pregnancy reaction. It will not be like this after the second trimester. I have been supplementing nutrition in the hospital, so there is no need to worry about my body."

"You're overthinking. I'm not worried about your health. I'm just worried about the food. So much food has been wasted."

Hu Jiabao rolled his eyes and stretched out his hand to pinch Qingfeng Li's waist.

The couple was lying on the bed at night. Li Qingfeng touched Hu Jiabao's belly, which had not changed at all, and asked curiously: "Hey, you said you have been pregnant for two months, why is there no change in your belly?"

"Why do you act like a fool and don't understand anything? Your uterus is still in the pelvic cavity now. How can your belly change? It will take three or four months for the uterus to enter the abdominal cavity and your belly will slowly swell." Hu Jiabao pinched Qingfeng Li face, said funny.

Qingfeng Li rolled his eyes and said angrily: "Look at what you said, I am not a medical student, and I have never had children with other women. Isn't it normal to not understand anything? If I understand, then Something went wrong.”

"It makes sense." Hu Jiabao nodded in agreement, then sat up from the bed, faced Qingfeng Li and asked curiously: "Do you like boys or girls?"

"Of course it's a girl. Why do you want a boy's stuff? You can't do anything except make yourself angry. It's better to be a daughter. A daughter is your father's caring little cotton jacket."

"What if the child is born in the future and it is a boy?"

"Then you raise it yourself"

Hu Jiabao was so amused by Qingfeng Li that he slapped Qingfeng Li gently, leaning into Qingfeng Li's arms and giggling.

In the afternoon of the next day, Dean Qian and other leaders gathered at the entrance of the Software Research Institute in formal attire, waiting for the arrival of Apple's software engineers.

Qingfeng Li, who had nothing to do after class and came over to chat with Apple engineers, saw that the entrance of the institute was crowded with reporters holding cameras. Even people from the TV station came carrying cameras.

Seeing this scene, Li Qingfeng felt his scalp numb. Is it necessary to engage in such a big battle? Those who didn’t know thought foreign leaders were coming.

"Teacher Li, what are you going to do?"

Qingfeng Li originally wanted to sneak away quietly when no one noticed him, but he was spotted by Deputy Director Yu who was standing in the crowd and shouted, completely exposing Qingfeng Li's whereabouts.

Being seen, Qingfeng Li could only give up the idea of ​​sneaking away, straightened his expression, and walked towards the crowd as if nothing had happened.

Declining Dean Qian's invitation to stand in the front row, Qingfeng Li squeezed back and stood next to Deputy Director Yu. He whispered without moving his lips but could make a sound: "I said Lao Yu, look You'll see me when you get there, why should you shout?"

"Hey, what's going on in such a big scene without a big capitalist like you?" Deputy Director Yu also kept his lips still and whispered, but there was a sense of gloating in his words.

"Put it down, I don't want to get involved in this scene."

"It's too late, you can't run away now even if you want to"

Deputy Director Yu was right, he really couldn't run away at this moment. Qingfeng Li sighed deeply and stood here with a look of despair, waiting for the arrival of the motorcade heading to the airport.

From a distance, I saw several cars transported by the Lemon Company from Xiangjiang approaching from a distance. The team to greet them again was a little commotion. The reporters quickly found their seats and prepared to interview the foreigners after the team stopped.

There were about ten people from Apple this time. On the way there, they were told that there would be interviews after getting off the bus.

Therefore, when these big-nosed foreigners got off the bus, they did not have too many surprises when facing the reporters. Instead, they accepted the interviews with the reporters very cooperatively.

The principal of the school, Dean Qian, and the director of the Computer Industry Bureau took turns stepping forward to shake hands with the engineers and take photos. After struggling for a long time, they took a group photo before ending the welcome ceremony.

Seeing Dean Qian and the others smiling from ear to ear, Li Qingfeng had already guessed what the headline in tomorrow's newspaper would be.

In the evening, the school generously arranged a small stove to entertain these foreign engineers.

Qingfeng Li looked at the dishes on the table and couldn't help but frown. Good guy, this specification is a bit too high.

Quietly pulling Dean Qian aside, Li Qingfeng said in a low voice: "Dean, we are not responsible for the food and accommodation of these foreigners. They all pay for it at their own expense. Don't charge this table to the institute's accounts. , the institute does not care about reimbursement.”

"You're stingy, you're stingy, aren't you? Today's meal is paid for by the school, not the institute's account," Dean Qian patted Qingfeng Li's shoulder and said generously.

"Okay, let's just go with the school's account. They are going to be here for a while anyway, and they charge money for everything they eat, drink, and have sex with. The school can earn back exponentially from them for today's meal."

"Let's not talk about this today. It's our first day here. No matter what, the school has to show its friendship as a landlord. Okay, I'll go over first." With that, Dean Qian hurried to the dining table to entertain the foreign guests.

Looking at the lively scene, Qingfeng Li shook his head helplessly and asked Ding Guangqing to arrange their accommodation for tonight. Qingfeng Li did not eat here and drove out of the school.

(End of this chapter)