"Now can you tell me, what exactly are you buying QDOS for?" Tim. Patterson asked curiously after selling the QDOS patent.

"I don't lie to you, our company and Microsoft have the same goal, they both want to go to IBM to gamble their luck. Because IBM's latest microcomputer is using Intel 8086 chips. "If you are willing to join our ORD team and improve this system, we are willing to buy your company and team for a high price of $200,000." ”

Tim. Patterson hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, if you have an annual salary of 50,000 and you have., I almost want to regret it." However, with Huang Tingjun's confession, Tim. Patterson thinks about it, even if the buyer of QDOS is IBM, it may not be able to make money.

First, if IBM wants to enter the microcomputer industry, it will inevitably face competition with Apple. It is difficult to say whether the two sides will win or lose.

Second, QDOS was written by copying the code of the digital research company's CP/M. Digital research companies make their own 16-bit systems, and QDOS is not necessarily their opponents.

It's because of calming down that, Tim. Patterson decided to join ORD and ask for a high salary and equity incentives!

"This annual salary is not a problem. On the issue of equity incentives, I can help you ask the headquarters for instructions! Huang Tingjun said.

"Okay, I'll join you!" Tim. Patterson said firmly.

Huang Tingjun couldn't help but show a hint of appreciation, in fact, he also knew that Tim's QDOS was mostly borrowed from the source code of other production systems.

However, most of the operating systems on the market are 8-bit operating systems, which can be used as a reference to the 8-bit operating system, and reading a person has developed a set of 16-bit microcomputer operating systems. Patterson's software and hardware skills are very solid.

Huang Tingjun's $80,000 acquisition of QDOS Machining System and $200,000 overall acquisition of Seattle Computer Company, after this matter was reported to Zhang Shaojie, Zhang Shaojie agreed very much with Huang Tingjun's approach. For Tim. Patterson's equity incentive, Zhang Shaojie also agrees.

Historically, Microsoft has used similar scam tactics to get from Tim. Patterson fraudulently obtained the patent rights of QDOS cheaply, thus establishing Microsoft's position as the system hegemon. Feeling deceived, Tim. Patterson took Microsoft to court, and in '86, Seattle Computer won the case, but only received $1 million in damages.

Zhang Shaojie doesn't want to talk to Tim in the future. Patterson went to court, after all, Microsoft was able to end this patent dispute at a narrow price in history.

But Zhang Shaojie is not sure that if he obtains the intellectual copyright of QDOS in a "deceptive" way, how will the courts in the United States hear it in the future?

Soon after receiving a call from Huang Tingjun, Zhang Shaojie held a shareholders' meeting in Hong Kong, and all shareholders agreed to authorize 1% of the shares of ORD Technology to Tim. Patterson. As long as Tim arrives in Hong Kong, he can go to the law firm in person to sign, notarize, and receive the shares that belong to him.

And in the hands of Tim. After Patterson, Huang Tingjun was ready to go straight to IBM without stopping!

In the 60s, IBM was engaged in its own projects, not only software, hardware, but even a screw, which may be designed and produced in IBM's own factory.

Because, IBM is too [***], in the 60s, it once beat the crowd and monopolized the entire computer industry. Therefore, it triggered the collective hostility of the entire IT industry and took IBM to court in the name of antitrust law.

The lawsuit was huge and protracted, using more than tens of thousands of human resources, hiring thousands of lawyers, and costing billions of dollars. Just paper materials, most of BM's materials, correspondence, conference documents, patents, and research data have been brought to court as evidence!

Although this lawsuit did not bring down IBM, it also dragged down IBM's development for more than ten years. As a result, IBM missed a lot of market opportunities in the 70s.

Drawing the lessons of the protracted anti-monopoly lawsuit at the end of 60 years, IBM decided to change the habit of eating alone in the past when it was ready to engage in PC, but was ready to win over the entire IT industry and join the PC plan.

On June 20, Huang Tingjun quietly led a team to the headquarters of IBM in Amunk, New York, and expressed his intention.

"You're the company that writes software for Apple computers?" Esrich, head of the PC program at IBM, was surprised.

"Yes!" Huang Tingjun smiled, "But we don't just write programs for Apple computers!" ”

"Oh? So, you mean, cooperation? ”

"Yes! Except, though. The new product is the use of 8086 chips!"

IBM in the early 80s, because it missed the golden development period of Silicon Valley in the 70s, no longer has an absolute advantage in many fields.

Especially in the field of microcomputers, IBM has made no achievements.

In order to revive the company, IBM engineer Essridge persuaded IBM's major shareholders at a shareholder meeting to launch a plan for a PC computer.

In the PC project, BM only customizes a standard, and outsources the specific hardware production tasks to companies such as Intel.

At this time, IBMPC can be said to have everything in place, and only the operation system is owed.

In the past few months, Esrich has been constantly traveling, first to a digital research company, to find Kildare, the founder of the CP/M system, hoping to get technical support from the other party.

As a result, Kildare has earned tens of millions of dollars in just a few years in the 8-bit system era of the 70s, and gradually lost the spirit of struggle. Kildare now spends more time on holiday than at work each year.

Although the digital research company promised to customize a CP/M-86 operation system for IBM, the development project went on for more than half a year, and the progress was less than 10%

The development schedule of CP/M-86 snails made Esrich feel very unreliable. Therefore, he is constantly looking for alternative solutions.

A few months ago, when Microsoft and IBM were talking about a project to collaborate on the Basic programming language, Essridge asked Bill. Gates, can you do a system?

Although Microsoft has never had a system for doing it, Bill. Gates patted his chest and promised - he could do it! After Microsoft got the order from IBM, it searched all over the market to find a ready-made system.

Now, because QDOS is used in North America. Esrich, lately, has been dreaming about it - fuck the system, this damn number research, damn Microsoft, how come there isn't a reliable one?

Now, Huang Tingjun came to IBM with QDOS software, and Esrich suddenly felt happy - there is finally a reliable one!

With that, Huang Tingjun successfully installed the QDOS system into a prototype of an 8086 chip, showing that this set of operation system software can control the 8086 chip, but there is still a little compatibility problem with other hardware on the PC.

That's enough!

On June 20, 1981, Huang Tingjun represented North America. Two cooperation agreements were signed.

One is a cooperation agreement with QDOS Cropping System, North America. The company is willing to pay a deposit of $200,000 as an upfront payment.

The second contract is . Would happily bundle it with a PC.

Of course, in order to ensure that the core technology of the PC computer will not be leaked in advance. North America. In the company's research room, under the full supervision of IBM's technical personnel, the project of modifying the operation system was completed.

Although Huang Tingjun was dissatisfied with IBM's domineering, he still took Tim. Patterson et al., in the lab at IBM, struggled for more than a month to completely re-modify the QDOS code to meet IBMPC's technical standards.

For the QDOS system, IBM pays for it. The company pays a $1 technology licensing fee to ORD Technologies.

Faced with this result, Huang Tingjun was very satisfied, after all, he listened to Zhang Shaojie - monopolizing the PC computer system market at a low price! In order to achieve this, even QDOS is worth selling for free, not to mention the $1 profit for every one sold.

It's the writer of the QDOS software, Tim. Patterson said a little indignantly: "IBM is too picky, only $1 for a piece of software!" ”

"Don't think about it, who will suffer in the future, who will take advantage, time will test!" Huang Tingjun said indifferently. All he was thinking about was the prospect of monopolizing the market for the production system that Zhang Shaojie described to him.

(To be continued)