Rebirth of the Tech Madman

"I heard you right?" John Axe, who just took out his own ears, showed an incredible expression on his face. "I created the ibm-pc standard ibm, gave up my own standards, and invested in the competition-Fangyuan personal. The embrace of computer standards? Tang, you dare to think about it!"

"This is not to dare to think, but to be pragmatic." Tang Huan said leisurely, "If people do not speak secret words, ask yourself, is it necessary to stick to the current ibm-ps/2? As far as I know, you Among the many reforms in China, including cutting down 40% of its production capacity, I am afraid that they will all fall into the personal computer department, which produces more, and loses more money."

John Ax retorted stiffly: "Even if ibm needs to adjust the personal computer department, it should also choose the same ibm-pc compatible machine."

"Compared with the Fangyuan PC, the ibm-pc compatible computer is better than the Fangyuan personal computer. I don't need to say more about it." Tang Huan shook his head and reminded earnestly: "Mr. Aix, your situation is very delicate now. It’s not a secret. In my opinion, the dilemma that ibm is facing now is accumulated by history, not someone’s fault, but it was accidentally caught up by you, even if someone else came to this position. , It may not be able to perform better."

"It must be admitted that the reforms that you have caused anger and resentment over the past few years are a necessary step for ibm to get out of the predicament. But if you are ousted from the power, then you will have to bear the stigma for your successor; but if If you can persevere and take ibm out of the predicament, then these offending lives will be whitewashed as far-sighted people by hindsight."

"Under such circumstances, shouldn't you, who have done this step, be more resolute? To hug the thigh of an ibm-pc compatible machine that ibm itself has declared as an obsolete product, isn't it the same as holding a handicap?"

"Mr. Ax, please forgive me for being blunt. If you can't go further and wisely and pragmatically, you can still sit in your current position for the first half of the year. That's a lot."

John Ax’s face changed for a long time before gritted his teeth and said: “Tang, last time I sold 20% of Intel’s shares to you, I was questioned; if I continue to Give up ibm-ps/2 and embrace the Fangyuan personal computer standard. Are you sure, you are not pushing me into the abyss again?"

"Is there anything to question? I bid higher than Siemens. Wasn't ibm cash flow tight at the time?" Tang Huan laughed blankly, "As for this time, the patent dispute between our two parties has reached a very ridiculous level. It's time to reconcile it. , And you can get a gift-the authorization of a Fangyuan PC compatible computer, is this not decent enough?"

John Axe stared at Tang Huan closely, and slowly asked: "But I still don't understand your true purpose and the true benefits you can get, just like the value that Intel now embodies."

Tang Huan looked directly at each other frankly and stretched out his fingers to count: "I think, just as personal computers were the center of the IT industry in the 1980s, the Internet will be a major trend in the IT industry in the 1990s and even for a long time in the future. So, I hope that more Internet terminals will be Fangyuan personal computers and compatible computers; in addition, once the Internet is truly popular, it will definitely be a popular necessity to run the server in the background of the website, and our patent disputes are mainly concentrated in high-end areas. A reconciliation can be reached, then everyone can pack lightly."

Speaking of this, Tang Huan did not forget to tease John Axe again, "The risc microprocessor power that ibm has developed and the rs/6000 series workstations and servers that use it as the cpu are indeed very good. It is estimated that this is also The future hope of ibm, which is best at operating the high-end market, lies in the future, but if you fail to withstand the current pressure and step down, then it is the performance of others."

His own dignified chairman and chief executive officer of ibm has been suppressed by Tang Huan. John Ax felt very depressed, so he retorted: "Tang knows ibm so much, he can take my class and come to ibm. Became the CEO."

"Unfortunately, I have my own company, and I can't be too busy." Tang Huan laughed, "So, do you think my proposal is acceptable?"

"How can it be that easy?" John Axe showed a sad expression on his face, "Tang, you are like our first CEO of IBM-Thomas John Watson, the authority is unmatched. Even Wall Street chooses complete trust, of course, you can do whatever you want in the company!"

Tang Huan put a smile away and reminded again: "I give you an oriental saying-a dead horse is a living horse doctor, there is hope after a doctor, otherwise, before you implement this step by step, you may be carrying it on your back. The reputation of the most failed CEO in ibm's history is sadly stepped down."

John Acres patted the armrest of the sofa in annoyance, "Don, you don't need to provoke me with words. I do things with my own rules."

"That's good." Tang Huan waved his hand, "Since we have reached our intention, then the next specific negotiations will be handed over to the team below."

...

It is estimated that John Ax’s situation is really exhausted, so much so that he is willing to give it a go. Before the negotiation result is fully available, he briefed the media on the eve of the opening of comdex-the personal computer department of ibm. The shift to Fangyuan's personal computer standard means that it will first create a fait accompli so that the change can be pushed forward with the fastest efficiency.

This move naturally caused a wave of waves-ibm abandoned its own personal computer standards and went to the former competitor, Fangyuan personal computer standards. This is incredible! There must be some ulterior transaction in it.

The so-called answer quickly surfaced-ibm is working with Fangyuan Computer, Zheru and other companies to negotiate a settlement over a protracted patent dispute, and ibm is authorized by the Fangyuan personal computer standard, which is only one of the earliest Results.

When confirming the incident, John Chambers, CEO of Fangyuan Computer Company, said: "The development of Fangyuan Personal Computer Standards to this day is no longer the private property of Fangyuan Computer Company, but the result of the joint efforts of the entire Fangyuan Personal Computer Standards Alliance. Everyone welcomes ibm to join in, which will benefit users in the future, especially in the Internet era, to enjoy the convenience brought by a consistent hardware platform."

As John Chambers said, members of the Fangyuan personal computer standard camp may not be friendly to the "newbie" of ibm, but they are definitely calm-let alone the qualifications of ibm in the Fangyuan personal computer standard camp. To start from scratch, just the history of ibm-pc's ups and downs proves that Big Blue can't manage low-end products.

A few happy and a few worries, the ibm-pc compatible machine camp can't hold back, and unabashedly reprimanded-this is a dirty transaction between two giant companies in private, which has seriously disrupted the freedom and fairness in the market. Order.

In the midst of such spitting stars flying all over the sky, the 1991 Comdex Autumn Exhibition opened in Las Vegas.

No blame for the ibm-pc compatible computer camp for jumping and scolding, their careful preparation, in this comdex, in exchange for an obvious cold reception.

Instead, high-end products such as Fangyuan workstations and servers, ibm's rs/6000 series workstations and servers, and sun servers and workstations have attracted much attention.

The so-called "high-end" is difficult to explain briefly to non-professionals, but it can be described by an example.

For example, the requirements of major US banks for computer systems are: 365 days a year, and the downtime cannot exceed 5 minutes.

It can be seen that not everyone can do such a demanding application solution. In the past, only mainframes and minicomputers were able to undertake such tasks, but now the relatively low-cost microcomputers can also be used without dispute. Come on top.

However, the most eye-catching technologies and products are Fast Ethernet, which has a transmission speed increased by 10 times, as well as supporting network cards, routers, software, and so on.

Of course, as in previous sessions, the summit forum where comdex invites industry leaders to give speeches is the most professional and highest place. What's more, the richest man who has not shown up for a few years and left the limelight to others has also appeared.

All parties predict that, judging from the activities of Tang Huan, a Silicon Valley leader in the past two years, his first speech at the Comdex Summit Forum in the 1990s is likely to revolve around the Internet.

This is indeed the case. The richest man made a bold prediction at the beginning.

"This year, the number of computers that make up the Internet is close to 400,000; I believe that in five years, this number will exceed 10 million. In other words, the speed of development will even exceed Moore's Law for the development of the semiconductor industry."

Glancing at the whispering situation in the audience, Tang Huan stretched out **** and said confidently: "This forecast of doubling every year seems too bold, but according to the two laws I discovered and summarized, there are still traces to be found. of."

"It is precisely because of the major development achievements made by the semiconductor industry under the guidance of Moore's Law that the computing performance necessary for the Internet has provided a solid foundation."

"In the next period of time, perhaps 30 years, the bandwidth of the Internet backbone will increase at least three times the growth rate of computing performance, that is, it will double in about half a year."

"Let’s take a look at a vivid real-life example. The backbone network used by the National Science Foundation for the interconnection of universities was created in 1986. The transmission speed was originally 56kbps; in the summer of 1988, it was increased to 1.5mkbps; In this November hosted by our comdex, the transmission speed of 45mkbps has already been put into service."

"Among all of you, the percentage of people who are exposed to the Internet should not be low. You may wish to think carefully about whether you share your feelings about the Internet with your family, friends, and colleagues, and then unintentionally become propagandists to help the Internet expand. "

After the warm applause subsided, Tang Huan continued to elaborate on his second research result.

"The continuous increase in the bandwidth of the Internet backbone network means that it is more likely to promote the emergence of various new network applications and the continuous reduction of network users' usage costs."

"Behind this, the law of value is indispensable. Just like a shopping mall, the more customers it cares about, the lower its operating cost and the greater its commercial value. The value of the Internet is reflected by its user scale, which is the most appropriate."

"The data analysis I gave for this is: the value of a network is equal to the square of the number of nodes in the network, and at the same time, it is also proportional to the square of the number of connected users."

"This also means that the greater the number of users on a network, the greater the value of the entire network and each computer in the network ~www.readwn.com~."

...

The splendor of the richest man’s speech eclipsed other speakers. The attention of the attendees and the media was all attracted to the concept of the Internet, and the term became more and more popular.

This makes the interpretation of industry observers naturally add an Internet perspective when the patent disputes between ibm and Fangyuan Computer, Zheru and other companies reach a final settlement.

The result of this reconciliation is understood as: the two giants decided to abandon the past-style personal computer standard battle and actively make arrangements for the coming and broader Internet era. In particular, after ibm has incredibly embraced the Fangyuan personal computer standard, although it is tantamount to surrendering and loses face, it has also jumped out of the quagmire of the personal computer standard dispute, and has more resources to operate rs/6000 series workstations and servers. Emerging high-end products.

No matter how much it is said, the market’s response is the most real. Since Tang Huan’s speech at the comdex summit, companies connected with the Internet on the stock market have been favored by investors without exception, and their stock prices have continued to rise. , Including the sluggish ibm, also revealed a wave of vitality.

I have to say that John Axe’s adventure has received the reward he wanted, and withstood the attack of the forces that wanted to oust him.

The chairman and CEO of the ibm board of directors, seems to show that ibm has defected to the Fangyuan personal computer standard, and does not mean surrender, he has issued a challenge impassionedly-the high-end field is what we are good at, and the real competition is here.

Putting aside this hot Internet concept, following the vigorous promotion of industry leaders, it has ushered in major good news at the national level.