……

In general, software products sold to enterprise user groups are not simply billed according to the number of copies, as is the case with individual user groups, but are licensed according to the number of CPUs or online users of the computer system installed into it. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

The most powerful versions of large databases such as EBase and Oracle cost tens of thousands of dollars per CPU – nearly a million dollars for a server with a symmetrical multiprocessor architecture of 32 CPUs.

For example, ERP software such as Renke and SAP often control the number of users online at the same time through dongles, and the total cost is equal to the unit price of each point multiplied by the number of authorized access purchased.

Of course, the number of CPUs and the number of online users are the two billing methods, and which is more cost-effective depends on the specific situation. Especially under the general trend of continuous improvement of computer performance, the situation is more complicated - it may be bought by points in the past, and the cost of enterprise IT is low; Now the CPU performance is so strong that it can drive more simultaneous online users, so that the cost of enterprise IT is lower when bought according to the number of CPUs.

According to Fangyuan's market research and forecast, among the companies represented by the explosive growth of the number of Web sites, there are only a few large enterprises like Fangyuan, Zheru, and IBM, and more are small and medium-sized companies.

If they are interested in the Internet, when buying a server system, they must give priority to the cost performance, and a server with 2 CPUs may be enough - when it is not enough, change to a slightly better server.

In the process of seeking such IT solutions, hardware and software must be considered at the same time, and software such as operating systems and databases are so important that they can even become decisive factors.

John Chambers is optimistic about the demand prospects of small and medium-sized enterprises for Fangyuan servers, and naturally hopes that Zheru Software, which has been "colluding" with Fangyuan for a long time, can come up with a new cooperation plan.

Tang Huan knows the general trend well, but he still has to wait for his subordinates to calculate such a subtle matter as the combined quotation plan.

Brothers, they must also settle accounts.

In Tang Huan's layout, in the past, Zheru Software focused on supporting Fangyuan Computer to compete for industry standards, but now it is Fangyuan Computer, which has already laid the ground, which in turn helps Zheru Software sell more products - the main and secondary are undergoing subtle changes.

What's more, in a few months, Zheru Software will be listed. It needs to come up with a shiny financial statement to stimulate Wall Street, not to carry forward the spirit of brotherhood and support Fangyuan regardless of the gains and losses.

However, Tang Huan, who did not express his position immediately, greatly appreciated John Chambers's judgment on the IT needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, and really praised a few words.

One of the reasons why "Fangyuan Computer Company" was decomputerized into "Fangyuan Company" is that the range of products it operates is too wide, such as medical imaging equipment, mobile phones, etc.

During the discussion, John Chambers mentioned the future of Fangyuan's handheld computers and mobile phones.

Although Fangyuan's handheld computer has been lackluster for many years, it has not been abandoned, and the technology and products have been kept moving forward, from the initial reliance on dry batteries to provide energy, USB and COM interfaces for data exchange, to the current use of lithium-ion batteries to provide energy, join wireless LAN connections, and support more colors and higher resolutions on the screen, the upgrade is not insignificant.

"In terms of the processing of personal data such as address books, memos, and schedules, the capabilities of mobile phones and Fangyuan handheld computers are getting closer." John Chambers groaned, "I don't know when the two will actually become one." ”

"It depends on when the semiconductor process can evolve to make components small enough. Of course, supporting software is also indispensable. Tang Huan smiled slightly, "Do users have any new feedback on Zheru's embedded operating system?" ”

"At the top of the list are old problems such as battery life and smooth operation." John Chambers turned to the temptation: "Microsoft's operating system, the promotion is getting stronger, so that more and more Fangyuan PC compatible machine manufacturers have begun to covet the cheap pre-installation of Windows. Fang Yuan's side, do you want to exert influence? ”

"This is a pure software dispute, so there is no need for Fang Yuan to get involved." Tang Huan waved his hand, "You can say that in terms of consumer-level products, like the original IBM-PC, several sets of operating systems are provided, and users can choose by themselves; As for enterprise-level products, Windows is not competitive at all. ”

Seeing that Tang Huan didn't take Microsoft to heart, John Chambers didn't say more.

……

The next day, when Tang Huan came to the office, he saw an eye-catching logo on the lawn, which belonged to Netscape, which was only established this year, attracting many passers-by and pointing at them, while Brad Swalberg, president of Zheru Software, stood at the door with a serious face, observing everyone's reaction

Tang Huan asked lightly, "Why is there such a thing on the lawn?" ”

"Last night, several employees of Netscape drove over and put it there." Brad Swalberg replied in the affirmative, "I'm not in a hurry to get people out of the way - let's see, there's a knock on the door, and it's good!" ”

Based on Brad Swalberg's current status as the No. 2 person in Zheru Software, he must be Tang Huan's choice for CEO successor, just waiting for the right time to announce.

Therefore, Brad Swalberg's slightly "alternative" reaction has his starting point.

Tang Huan bowed his head slightly and snorted, "How old are you to still play this kind of game?" Does Netscape want to show the outside world that its newborn calves are not afraid of tigers? ”

This is indeed the case - in college, whether it is MIT students, arrogantly posing their logos on the football field of Harvard University and Yale University, or Cornell University students, on Halloween, mischievously inserting a large pumpkin weighing dozens of pounds into the spire of the school tower, it is in line with the character characteristics of their age, but what is it about Netscape to play such a night "stealing camp and robbing the village"? Is it enough to demonstrate?

After observing the staff's reaction to this with Brad Swahlberg for a while, Tang Huan dropped the sentence "Our people are a little used to being comfortable" and turned to leave.

……

Gossip news in Silicon Valley spreads no slower than Hollywood -- in just one morning, Netscape in Mountain View City has been so popular that even the traditional media have been moved.

When asked about this question, a spokesperson for Zheru Software replied lightly: "We are very busy right now, and we don't coax children to play games. If a trickster wants to promote himself, my personal advice is to contact the advertiser. ”

The reporters present were all amused -- Zheru Software obviously regarded Netscape as a bear child, waving impatiently and blasting the other party away.

……

After Tang Huan and Louis Gerstner exchanged information about the enterprise IT service market, at the internal meeting of Zheru Software, when he listened to the work reports on the listing and "i strategy", Zhengse said: "Our 'i strategy' has shaken the entire industry to a self-evident degree, and the reactions of peers are different - this new emerging Netscape company has obviously put all its wealth on the browser. ”

"Netscape is aware of the status of browsers in the Internet, to what extent, but I want to emphasize that the importance of browsers is no less important than operating systems - I hope that the two can go hand in hand, operating systems are a major business that provides the company's financial income, and should have a bearing; The browser must be motivated, and it can't be frivolous because the youngest son is favored. ”

Brad Swahlberg took over the conversation and said, "Netscape will officially release version 1.0 of its browser product Netscape_Navigator at COMDEX Las Vegas Fall. The latest version we have now is Netscape_Navigator 0.9, and it can be seen that it is a real threat to our Polestar browser in terms of cookies, web frames, scripting languages, etc. ”

"The group of programmers who developed the Netscape_Navigator, mainly from the Mosaic browser development team of the University of Illinois NCSA, have copyright disputes with each other, and even the Netscape_Navigator development code name - Mozilla is evolved from 'Mosaic_Killa' - 'Mosaic killer'."

"Why don't we send out some public relations resources to intensify the conflict between NCSA and Netscape and hit the morale of this stunned young man?"

Tang Huan gave an example noncommittally, "The value of justification is often not reflected until the end." The desktop database DBase, which deliberately hides its origins with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a prime example of this. ”

As a veteran subordinate, Brad Swarberg had long been accustomed to the technical euphemism of the boss when discussing some commercial competition methods, so he changed his tone and said: "Netscape unreasonably defines Netscape_Navigator as free, obviously trying to quickly compete for market share, and at the same time puts the profit expectation on selling back-end website service suites and development tools to enterprises." ”

"We all know the power of the gimmick of free. I think the Polestar browser should be split into a personal version that is explicitly free to respond to this aggressive challenge. ”

This time, Tang Huan nodded clearly, and then he waved his hand, "Let's enjoy the latest features of Polestar first." ”

Soon, the participants saw in the projection that Tang Huan had changed the light blue hue of the Polestar interface to a light green hue by calling a "skinning" function menu, and even the background and lines of the controls were different, which could be said to be a face change - but both interfaces were pleasing to the eye.

"It's a personalized, creative feature that is also available on media players. Overall, it doesn't really do much other than consume a few more computer resources. Tang Huan explained, and the result drew a round of laughter.

"That's what I thought, though. That is, how many people would think that the Polestar core is a new product with a different interface? Tang Huan said leisurely: "Since the browser market has been pulled down to the level of free all of a sudden, isn't the atmosphere a little deserted to take it?" ”

Brad Swalberg thought about it, and the boss wanted to put a different vest on Polestar, turning the entire browser market into a dazzling scene.

As the ironclad successor to the CEO, Brad Swarberg, of course, like Tang Huan, clearly felt the antitrust pressure caused by Zheru Software's too strong force.

If you drown all your opponents, including Netscape_Navigator, with a bunch of Polestar trumpets, you can really do it without bloodshed, and the market has already been stirred up for free.

Brad Swalberg felt that this trick was worse than plunging Netscape into a whirlpool of copyright disputes...... No, it works, he perked up and said, "I'll reach out to some of the companies I have partnered with to see if they're interested in a different look at Polestar." ”

……

The 1994 COMDEX Las Vegas Fall Show was significantly more lively than previous editions. Gain, in addition to the fact that the quantity continues to increase, is also exceptionally rich.

Hardware: A new member in the field of home TV game consoles - Sony's Playstation; In the field of desktop computers, NC is calling the board to the PC; RISC servers and workstations of all kinds occasionally shimmer sharply in the calm tones of their main chassis.

In terms of software, Microsoft's computer manufacturer pre-installed version Windows_95, Netscape's 1.0 official version Netscape_Navigator browser, murderous, and a variety of products with the title of "i" can be seen everywhere.

In his speech at the COMDEX Industry Forum, Tang Huan first reviewed last year's prediction, "The number of Web sites this year has reached tens of thousands. I think it will not be difficult to reach hundreds of thousands next year and millions the year after. ”