Chapter 30 3. Computer

Cangjie, Tianlong, Lingyi, Hanka I heard that before I was in the third grade, a gentleman invented water to replace gasoline, and he performed it for General Jiang.General Jiang believes that if gasoline can be replaced by water, it will be of great benefit to the national economy and the people's livelihood.So he introduced a giant in Kaohsiung's shipbreaking industry, ready to invest in production. At this time, General Jiang thought of a Chinese computer and persuaded the shipbreaking giant to invest.Unfortunately, the inventor who used water instead of oil insisted on paying first, otherwise he refused to accept the test.My Chinese computer is even more like a myth, still undecided, so it is naturally more daunting.

General Jiang introduced Datong Company to cooperate with me, and Datong Company was also very interested.Mr. Lin Tingsheng invited me to dinner, took a group photo, and asked his technical staff to discuss all technical issues with me.In the end, Datong Company was cautious, and the lawyer offered me the terms of cooperation: I was responsible for providing all the technologies, and they had full rights to produce and sell them; all my compensation was a Chinese computer. I read the contract and it was incredible!I reported to General Jiang, and he only said implicitly: "Bang Fu, don't worry, I will find you a knowledgeable and capable person to cooperate with."

General Jiang continued his efforts and found Mr. Ying, who had retired from the navy, and his wife was a famous model.Because a wife is expensive, Mr. Ying made money from clothing business. He especially expressed to General Jiang that he would give back to the society with practical actions. Since the initial meeting with Mr. Ying, Mr. Ying brought a lawyer with him every time he discussed.When it came to substantive issues, I said that three or four researchers were needed, and he was surprised: what do we need three or four researchers for?General Jiang said it was ready for production.

Even if it can be produced, it is necessary to design applications and develop new products!I patiently explained to him one by one. He was quite disapproving: So how much do researchers pay? I have seen that people who care about three or four staff members may blow up when it comes to money.In order to make the plan successful, I only offered half of the general price, 12,000 yuan per person per month. Twelve thousand yuan?The highest salary in our clothing company is only 10,000 yuan! Mr. Ying, making computers is not selling clothes! I can't go on talking, I don't want to compare with the people in the clothing company, but I can see that Mr. Ying's structure is nothing more than commanding a boat and managing a store.

Although we talked about it several times after that, the problems became more and more discussed.I didn't know until the end that in his imagination, the so-called Chinese computer business was sitting in an office typing and printing a few Chinese characters. Repeated failures, it is difficult for me to report to General Jiang, is it because someone else is wrong?But I am confident that I have done nothing wrong, but most of the people introduced by General Jiang are ulterior motives, and they have two sets of faces before and after the general. I decided to look for it myself. Whom should I look for?A friend introduced an entrepreneur from the Shanghai Gang. He said that he is a famous genius who appreciates innovative technologies the most, and has invested in many famous electronic companies.

I invited Shen Honglian to go with me, because I was afraid of ruining the great opportunity by saying the wrong thing. The meeting place was a high-end restaurant on Zhongshan North Road. The focus of my appeal was the return on investment.After talking for a while, he interrupted me politely and said, Have you ever thought about a question? what is the problem? You need money to do things, right?What are you doing in Chinese?When Chinese people are going to switch to English, from the standpoint of doing business, this is called an opportunity. Who would let the opportunity of making money not do it?

Shen Honglian almost exploded when she heard this.We learned from the painful experience and decided not to ask for help, it is best to raise money by ourselves and do it ourselves! To put it simply, where to raise money?And it's not a small sum.We inquired about it. At that time, the price of Wang An Computer's 2200T was 1.6 million yuan.TECO only has terminals (the mainframe is a big computer, don't even think about it), and the price is 600,000.Fuxi also has a Chinese terminal, which can work independently. I remember the price is two million yuan. Shentong Computer Company claims that they will also launch a Chinese terminal in half a year.

I was about to give up, when I suddenly saw an advertisement, it was a learning machine called Little Professor, and the price was less than 100,000 yuan.Although it is a learning machine, it is the only affordable computer.The small professor is produced by Acer. I went to their company especially to see if there is any better opportunity. At that time, Acer was still on Minsheng East Road, a four-story apartment, and they occupied half of it.Little Professor Mingfu is actually a learning machine without even a screen.Since Acer's main business at that time was electric toys and electronic components, it was not like Wang An and Shentong, which had a spacious showroom with a large facade and operation display.I was very disappointed, so I had no choice but to treat the dead horse as a living horse doctor. Before leaving, I asked them by the way if they sold computers.

The salesman who received us was also surnamed Zhu, named Zhu Hechang.He said: Of course, there are microcomputers and development systems. We have sold several of them! How many?It must be too expensive, not many people can afford it.I asked carefully: How much is one set?I guess in my heart, it must be more than three million. The price of MCZ is 700,000, and the development system will be added Is it a computer?Seven hundred thousand?My heart is going to jump out. Of course the price is negotiable, it depends on what you want Seven hundred thousand!But where to find seven hundred thousand?I wanted to borrow it from Ye Tiaohui, and when I went back to the Taipei house to have a look, I found something was wrong.All related companies are there, only the signboard of the Taipei house is missing.

Fortunately, the staff still knew each other, and only after inquiring did they know that the company had been taken over by Vice Chairman Yang Tiansheng.Ye Tiaohui only kept the time-honored brand of Taipei Housing, and was kicked out long ago. The only hope left is to sell the house. After some inquiries, the current market price can be sold for more than one million yuan.But will it work?Don't talk about discussing with the family, I think it's inappropriate. One day, Lian Guangquan and Lei Jun came to my house. Lian Guangquan said that he would retire from the army and get a pension, but he didn't know what to invest.I mentioned the Chinese computer incidentally, and they were very interested.

So how much does it cost to start a business?Lei Jun asked. It doesn't take much to start a company, one or two hundred thousand is enough.But I want to make the machine first, and I have to buy equipment first, and there are still hundreds of thousands of dollars left.I was very vague. Hundreds of thousands?What is that?A few of our buddies got together, didn't we come out?Lei Jun patted his chest and said that he still has some friends in black and white, and the money should not be a problem for him. Sure enough, within three days, Lei Jun found some friends from the kung fu world, together with Lian Guangquan and Zhao Lanping.Each of them collected more than one hundred thousand, and there were hundreds of thousands in total.Among them, 650,000 yuan was lent to me to make samples, and the rest planned to invest in the organization company, which even had a name: Haobang Computer Company, and even found an office. People in Jianghu are always bold and decisive in doing things, so it is inevitable that they will be careless and take everything for granted. You set up the company now, aren't you afraid of spending money wrongly?I asked them. where?You can see how well we got this name, the strokes were calculated by famous masters, it's very lucky.Hao means hero, Bang is your brother's name, computer company!hey-hey!Zhao Lanping didn't answer the question. Seeing their strength, I can't bear to say more.But what business does the company do?It costs a lot of money to buy and sell computers, and my stuff hasn't been made yet.Even if it is done, business will not come from an empty office. However, I can think of a career that they can start, which is to teach others how to use computers.This kind of job only needs to know a little technology. Even if they don't, I can also be responsible for the training with my computer learning know-how. no!no!What do I study?It's almost like a fight!Lan Ping spoke very frankly. I can't learn either. At such an age, I can only learn to be a boss.Lei Jun also said. That's all right, let's invite some girls, you are responsible for training them, Lian Guangquan is relatively calm. right!right!I'm in charge of Miss Guan!Call here. I'm in charge of picking the ladies!Shout over there. So, I bought a MCZ (Micro Computer of ZILOG) from Acer, and the price was 650,000.In order to work with peace of mind, I left the University of the Three Armed Forces, and Shen Honglian and I rented a house on Lishan Street in Neihu as our laboratory, and officially went to sea. To be honest, I was a layman to computers at that time, and I only knew a little bit of BASIC language.If you want to ask me why I dare to put all my eggs in one basket, I really can't tell.However, I am confident that I can learn from scratch without breaking the boat, what is the dedication?Besides, since computers are made by humans and others can, there is no reason why I cannot learn them. The most important thing is that I didn't think about success and failure at all, I just thought it should be done.There seems to be a rope in the dark, which has already tied me firmly, and I must walk on this road.As for what if it fails?I don't really believe it's possible, so I'll start all over again.In fact, since the moment I became enlightened, my whole body and mind have undergone changes.I am just a residual organism in the world, doing what I have to do.As for what should be called, the principle of judgment is also very simple, that is, to rely on long-term benefits. In short, I started to learn the assembly language of Z80 and study the hardware structure of the computer.After a few days, I immediately found the core of the problem. This computer has no graphics function, and all English characters are provided by hardware.But there is no graphic form, and I can't change its hardware, so it is impossible to display Chinese. One of the solutions is to add graphics function, otherwise we have to start with the display's English character generator. I immediately called Zhu Hechang to explain the current situation.He suggested adding another graphics card, asking for a price of 100,000.He was very interested in my motivation for buying a computer, and especially visited my laboratory. After listening to my introduction, Zhu Hechang said: It sounds very interesting, but I don't understand technology, can we invite our general manager to take a look?Maybe we can cooperate, which is good for everyone. The next day, Acer's general manager Shi Zhenrong and Zhu Hechang came to our laboratory.After carefully listening to my explanation, Shi Zhenrong thought carefully for a while and said: I don't quite understand your method, but if it can be done successfully, our company is very interested in cooperating in production.Would you like to come to our company and explain it to our engineers? I had hoped to find someone to cooperate with. Although Acer was small (and it was), it had vision.In any case, with their technology, manpower, and equipment, they are better than me in every aspect, and of course they can cooperate best. At that time, their company had a total of 20 to 30 people. When I explained, all the main members were present.In the small meeting room, there were about ten people sitting.I drew a flow chart, because I am not from a professional background, I only know how to make steel by indigenous methods.Whenever there is a branching process, I stick a small piece of paper under the process, which looks like a messy hedgehog. The difference between an insider and an outsider lies in whether they can speak jargon, which is the so-called technical term.The jargon I use is my own invention, and to the experts at Acer, it's like a bible. After talking for a whole morning, from their eyes and the sleeping postures of several people, I had already prepared for the worst in my heart.This was originally my own responsibility. It would be best if Acer participated. If I didn't participate, I would have to do it too. There is no difference. After I finished speaking, Shi Zhenrong stood up and said to everyone: To be honest, I still don't understand. The question is very simple. You can see if it is feasible!He was facing the left side of the front row, and a young man who squinted his eyes as if he hadn't had enough sleep said: Shi Chongtang, do you think it can be done? As soon as I heard it, it was over. During the process of my explanation, his eyes were mostly closed.If you ask him, there is no hope. Shi Chongtang spoke slowly, with a puzzled look on his face, and said: With his approach, it is not only feasible, but also incredibly simple.I really didn't expect him to have such a cognition, and then he turned around, as if asking for everyone's opinions: I find it strange that no one has thought of such a simple method? There were various echoes in the venue, Shi Zhenrong followed up and asked: Then how many people and how long do you think it will take to make it? Shi Chongtang thought for a while, and said with certainty: three people, it can be completed in half a year! This was at the end of December 1979. We signed a contract, and 10% of the proceeds from future sales would be my royalties.As for Haobang Computer Company, Acer is responsible for providing various assistance and various preferential treatment.Based on the Thanksgiving Chart, I also donate 10% of my income to reduce the cost of Haubang. Haobang’s brothers didn’t have any complaints about this, but they wandered around the office all day, facing a lot of computer materials (all in English) I sent over, and they simply didn’t know where to start. Zhao Lanping spoke bluntly: Damn it!Let's make Chinese computers, why do we need to learn these foreign things? Lei Jun put his feet on the table: This is the advantage of being the general manager, children, you should study hard! I don't know who invited a computer doctor who came back from Canada to review my plan.As a result, the doctor poured cold water on everyone. He first decided that Chinese computers were technically impossible.Secondly, there is no market for Chinese computers at all!As for Acer, he said disdainfully: I am very familiar with the computer industry in Taipei, what Acer?never heard of that!Besides, no one knows how to plan, but most of them fail.Especially the Chinese computer, even the US government and IBM can't make it, why do you have it?Before the product goes on the market, I can see something with my own eyes, even if you kill me, I say it's impossible. Who can argue against experts?Especially the computer doctor who returned to China?The face of this group of wealthy guests was ashen, and they decided to break up.It's no wonder that a few burly men who can stab knives in their ribs and walk around on their arms are nestled in the office every day.Facing the mountain of tadpole text materials, they can't use all their strength, how long can they be wronged? I am not arrogant enough to think that I am the only one who can make Chinese computers, but the world is changing and timing is very important.If Tianlong comes out a few years later, who knows what will happen to Chinese computers?As far as my history is concerned, if you want to judge meritorious deeds, these quack men are the real behind-the-scenes heroes.Fortunately, the consistent spirit of Chinese rangers is not to claim credit, not to be greedy for honor and salary, everyone is destined to get together, and it is also fate to disperse.In the desert with flying sand and rocks, or in the green forest with rugged mountain roads, swords and swords, horses neighing and people roaring, laughing and talking about the eternal good things, it is also a joy! Later, I saw a professor surnamed Xu published an article on the Central Daily, saying that the research department of the US Air Force had cooperated with IBM to develop the inside story of Chinese computers.From 1960 to 1970, a total of 60 million U.S. dollars was spent, and thousands of experts were mobilized. In the end, only one conclusion was reached: Chinese cannot be used on computers. But for us, everything is under control.Shen Honglian and I were in charge of system analysis and data structure, and Shi Chongtang led two engineers, Guo Qinyang and Huang Fengyue, to write the program. Since I have a clear purpose and a deep confidence in my design, it is easy to see the crux of the process.Before they write a program, I will explain the processing methods and principles in detail.Shi Chongtang is very modest and reasonable, he always listens patiently and carefully.Huang Fengyue is not the case. He thinks that I have never written a combination language program. Ideals belong to ideals, and practice belongs to practice, so some methods may not work. In the process of explaining, it is equivalent to having a comprehensive overview of the combination language, and I have mastered the essence.Shi Chongtang's use of combination language is absolutely correct, not only because of the high execution efficiency, but also because he can directly control the details of Yiying.The reason why I was able to gain a foothold in the computer industry was greatly helped by Shi Chongtang, because the first step is right, and the future will be a matter of course. Human-to-human communication is a great science. It is especially difficult to have someone who can speak, and it is especially difficult to have someone who can listen.The program failed to execute several times. They thought there was something wrong with my concept, and I pointed to the program and explained the mistakes one by one.Later, Huang Fengyue simply locked the printed program in a drawer and refused to let me read it.As a result, my fighting spirit was aroused again.After spending two days, I wrote a program and handed it over to Shi Chongtang for testing. Huang Fengyue smiled ambiguously: Mr. Zhu, the program is easy to write, but it must be executed! Shi Chongtang looked at the program carefully and said: Mr. Zhu is right, only in this way can it work, you can change it like this. After several months of cooperation, although some disputes were unavoidable, everyone got along very happily.Thanks to Shi Chongtang's guidance, I found that the combination language is very similar to the foundation building kung fu in martial arts novels, and it is the foundation of cognitive logic.Scholars must have patience, perseverance, and even more flexibility in mind, and practice constantly, so that it becomes an instinctive reaction.At this time, people can concentrate on thinking about the problems they face, and realize them through streamlined and effective steps. Yes, many people can write programs, but if they don't, they can become proficient in a few months.But the real value of an assembly language does not lie in completing the program. The number of segments depends entirely on the processing process and the solution adopted.Because assembly language is equivalent to machine code, it is straightforward and has absolute control over the computer, and its implementation is the most efficient. The size of a person's ability, to put it bluntly, is the level of efficiency.Knowing the root of the efficiency of combined language, people can definitely improve their thinking ability in the process of continuous practice, coupled with repeated self-confirmation.Of course, a guy who only uses combinational language as a tool for eating is equivalent to a bookseller who sells the "Diamond Sutra". Our approach has two major features, one is the Chinese input setting of the small keyboard; the other is the graphics and Chinese character library.At that time, all Chinese input concepts regarded Chinese as a special exception, either using a large keyboard with 2,400 keys, or a middle keyboard with about 300 keys.The only keypad is Wang An's triangle number, but it only uses numeric keys instead of English keys. (Note: The Chinese systems at that time were all terminal-type, and Wang An’s triangular number used ten numeric keys. Zhonghua No. 1 to Zhonghua No. 3 of the Technical Institute used 228 keys. The Shentong CCRT 280 Chinese terminal used 332 keys. National Taiwan University In the research plan, Professor Jiang Deyao’s radical input method is used, with 40 keys. TECO adopts Zhou Junliang’s phonetic and four-corner number input method, with 100 keys. General Fuxi 4674, Dr. Ye Chenhui’s large keyboard input, each page has 2400 key.) My idea is not the same. Since there is an English text key, and the English system has become a universal standard, Chinese must be shared with the English key, leaving only one key for the choice of Chinese and English.But at that time, not many people agreed with my point of view. Even when cooperating with Acer, some people suggested to use a large keyboard instead.Its position is to facilitate marketing, because at least 20,000 to 30,000 typists were already familiar with the operation of large keyboards, and they could enter the market immediately without further education. I am unwavering, coupled with cost considerations, Shi Zhenrong also fully supports, so the small keyboard can be finalized.In addition, the font library is the key to success. I use the vector group font method to design the coordinate value of each character as a compressed data, and use the prefix and body of the Cangjie input code to point to its font data.When the user enters the Cangjie code, the data can be found immediately, and it can be drawn on the designated position according to the data structure. The radicals we collect can be arranged and combined into 30,000 to 40,000 effective glyphs, requiring less than 60KB of space.Having said that, the MCZ we used at that time had a maximum capacity of only 64KB, and it was all given to the font, so other work could not be done.Shi Chongtang proposed an ingenious solution, which is to superimpose a memory board for generating Chinese glyphs.When working, if you want Chinese, you can convert it, and then convert it back after the characters are formed. Our ideal is to operate in Chinese and have Chinese language programs.Due to the shortage of manpower, Acer has recruited a lot of people, and there is a new scene every day, and new faces will come and go at any time.The office has also expanded, and more and more projects are planned, and production, publicity, and packaging have come to the fore one by one.Everyone is excited, people are busy everywhere as if they are in a honeycomb that has just found nectar. At the beginning of June, the prototype was completed, and the font library was ready.Under the guidance of Shen Honglian, several young ladies were dancing and typing Chinese on the keyboard, and I couldn't help but feel complacent.It was originally some ideas lingering in the mind, from scratch, realized one by one into concrete results.Although these glyphs are not very beautiful on the screen, they are still acceptable.Once I printed Chinese on paper, I began to feel ashamed again. Can these ugly Chinese be seen by people? I consulted with Shi Zhenrong and wanted to find some artists, especially to write well and re-adjust the font.Shi Zhenrong was very busy, one time was talking about money with accountants, another was about production and parts, and the other was about the theme of publicity. Shi Zhenrong took the time to ask me: Mr. Zhu, what do you want to do?Want to use a computer to print a book? why not?This is my real purpose. Ever since I saw their publishing efficiency in Brazil April Culture Company, I have already decided the direction of my life. Mr. Zhu, this is a computer, not a printing machine. Another group of people came. He was too busy, so I had to leave.In fact, there is nothing urgent, I might as well make my own plans and talk about it later. I haven't forgotten the prophecy of Guo'an Hall. He once categorically asserted that I would not succeed if I was only 42 years old.October is my forty-second birthday, and it should be considered accurate a month or two earlier. The situation in Guo'an Hall is still the same, the dark hall, the crowd waiting in line, and the mysterious atmosphere.Occasionally, following a word from the fortune teller, a burst of surprise echoed, and I sat down with Shen Honglian again. When I was excited to talk about the recent situation, the fortune-teller raised his gray-haired and older face, obviously remembering me as a persistent guest.I noticed that he first looked at the hexagrams formed by the Mi Gua, and then pinched his fingers and calculated again before looking at my birthday horoscope. Finally, he put down the note in his hand, shook his head slowly and said to me: There is no way, the hexagram is not good, your life is hard, autumn wood!No matter what you do, it must be in autumn, and after the Mid-Autumn Festival. After listening to my report, Shi Chongtang smiled very cutely: Mr. Zhu, I didn't expect you to believe this?Don't worry, we have decided to launch it in July of the Gregorian calendar. You don't have to wait until autumn, and the wood will grow more lush in summer! At this time, Acer has expanded the office to the entire building, and goods are coming in and out, and the up and down are very lively.The busiest part is the publicity department. Acer's original publication Gardener's Words, for the advent of this epoch-making Chinese computer, is unprecedented, and the copywriters are simply scratching their heads.Publicity documents, introduction materials, teaching themes, application manuals, etc., are all unprecedented creations. Judging from the situation mobilized by Acer, I am also very grateful to be able to cooperate with them.Otherwise, based on my conditions, it is absolutely impossible to turn a new product into a well-known shock.From this incident, I can't help but think of the grand occasion when the housing project was launched in Taipei. Business is business after all.Especially in today's society, people are used to well-packaged finished products. As for what's inside and how high or low the price is, it doesn't really matter. My work has come to an end, and the production of Chinese system, programming language and application software will follow.Shi Chongtang became even busier, he added four or five new engineers under his command, and he had to teach and do it himself.I can only provide some suggestions for these tasks, and I can't help at all. I have to read martial arts novels on the sidelines. The naming of products is a big question, and I have learned it when I was in the house in Taipei.They asked for my opinion. I happened to be watching Jin Yong's "The Eight Parts of Heaven and Dragons", and what I thought in my mind was the dragon flying in the sky in "Book of Changes", so I said: Tianlong.They thought it was too vulgar, but after much deliberation, this one was inappropriate and that one was too bad. After choosing and choosing, they decided to use the Tianlong Chinese computer. (It's a pity that I hadn't seen "Yitian Tulong Ji" at that time, otherwise there would be no Yitian later.) July passed in chaos, all the preparations were in place, but the dragon fetus was seriously difficult to deliver.Shi Chongtang's complexion was pale, his eyes were so tired that he couldn't open his eyes, several engineers looked at each other, but they couldn't find anything wrong. Shi Zhenrong was on the scene to supervise the battle every day, shouting anxiously: You have to tell me when it can be completed!Don't expect it to be perfect, just be able to show it publicly!You see, the exhibition venue needs to be booked, and the media advertisements also need to cooperate. Will it work at the end of August? Shi Chongtang's eyes were red, and he said slowly: "At the end of August?I'm not sure. God, what about September?If September fails, October will be too late.There are too many festivals in October, and the venues and advertisements have already been booked out!How about it?early September?Looking at these staff members, Shi Zhenrong really couldn't bear to push him any further, so he made up his mind and said, "That's all right, we've scheduled Teacher's Day on September 28th, there are still two months left, it's ok!" On September 28, 1980, Tianlong Chinese Computer officially met with Chinese people at the Normal University.More than ten years later, many people with hindsight are still arguing about who invented the Chinese computer first.But at that time, when the Tianlong Chinese computer came out, it was nothing more than a bomb explosion, which made Chinese and foreign experts and scholars fall through their glasses. I don't think I invented the Chinese computer. The computer doesn't distinguish between Chinese and foreign, and the addition of Chinese is not an invention.My contribution to Chinese computers is the concept of Chinese letters, but it is a pity that Chinese people despise the concept too much, so that they can't see it very far.If it wasn't for Tianlong's timely attack back then, the development direction of Chinese computers is likely to be dominated by large keyboards.Once people get used to it, they will take it for granted, and they don't even know that there is another better choice in the world! Many talented people are complacent when they achieve a little achievement, and have since fallen into the vortex of fame and fortune.My goal is so far away that I can't even see it.Even if there is a day to achieve it, I also know that there is still a bigger goal ahead, and there will never be a day of complacency.Take the present as an example. I am not satisfied with the font shape, so I decided to make a Chinese font library for computer typesetting.After the glyphs are completed, there are still recognition, pronunciation, semantics, etc. waiting in line. Tianlong Chinese computer is just the beginning, breaking the superstition that Chinese is not suitable for computers.Today, all the people who once opposed Chinese computers have been silent, and some people have even transformed into pioneers in the Chinese computer industry.Everyone will inevitably make mistakes in judgment due to temporary prejudice.The scary thing is that computer is a science and technology, a quiet and pure land, if too many speculators are driven by profit and an army gathers, the computer world will be in chaos! Tianlong is flying in the sky, but I am still in the situation where Qianlong can't use it.Acer and I were awarded the Premier's Award by the government, but I refused because I didn't need any award.As for the cooperation with Acer, it is time to break up.I still need to continue to improve, but Shi Zhenrong thinks that I am too idealistic and unrealistic.Our views are completely opposite in every respect. I think the future trend of computers will be smaller and smaller, small enough to fit in your pocket. Shi Zhenrong believes that large mini-computers are the mainstream.We are fighting with red faces, and it is the best policy to go our own way. Acer kept its promise and paid me more than 3 million royalties. With this, I founded Lingyi Technology Company and started another period of hard struggle. I found out afterwards that the day when Tianlong was made public was exactly three days after the Mid-Autumn Festival.Because of the confirmation of this incident, the prophecy of Guo'an Church has been deeply rooted in my heart, making me constantly wander between the path of science and mystery, unable to control myself. The name of my company, Zero One, is of course because of the binary code of the computer, but it also has a deeper meaning, which is to use zero one to symbolize Yin and Yang.I want to use a computer to study the Theory of Changes. In the past, scholars respected the "Book of Changes" as the top of the hundred classics, but today the "Book of Changes" has been reduced to a tool for fortune-telling and divination. Some people regard the "Book of Changes" as truth, while others say it is superstition. What is right and wrong?For those who really want to find out the truth, why not learn about it first!It is impossible for people to accept concepts and things that they do not understand, and the "Book of Changes" is indeed difficult to understand. Even the old master Confucius complained about himself: It is no exaggeration to let me learn the Yi at fifty. I once asked the fortune teller in Guo'an Hall whether "Book of Changes" is difficult to learn.He said: It is not difficult to learn, but difficult to pass! The reason is very simple. The "Book of Changes" uses finite symbols to symbolize the infinite combination and change of time and space.Even if a person can be patient and connect symbols and text concepts, it will take decades of work.When you have enough experience in life and realize the relationship between those symbols and the changes of time and space, life is almost dusk, and the time is running out. This eternal unsolved case, now, should be the moment when the truth comes to light.Because of computers, the advantages of computers just make up for the shortcomings of people.Using a computer to study the "Book of Changes" should be more effective with less effort. Having said that, how to teach a computer to understand "Book of Changes"?Whether it came first, the chicken or the egg, there must always be one of them.I continued to reason. If I first study the "Book of Changes" and then use a computer to analyze it, it seems feasible, but in fact it will not work.Because by the time I learn Yi Li, I have already obtained benevolence by seeking benevolence, so what else do I need to study with a computer?In this way, letting the computer learn "Book of Changes" first is the most ideal shortcut.However, what does it mean to let a computer learn the Book of Changes? Putting myself in my shoes, I only need to spend some effort to study the concepts of words in the book to learn "Book of Changes", and one day I will be able to understand what it says.Going one step further, knowing why the "Book of Changes" said this would make sense.From this logical reasoning, I suddenly discovered that the fundamental problem is how I understand the concept of words.If a computer can understand the concept of words, not only the "Book of Changes", but almost everything in the world can be entrusted to it to handle. I've been thinking about this, and subconsciously, I'm often working on a lot of things in parallel at the same time.On the one hand, I am trying to improve the Chinese font library, on the one hand, I am working on designing a Chinese typewriter, and on the other hand, I want to thoroughly understand a great mystery that human beings have never been able to solve, that is, how people understand the world. The purpose of the establishment of Lingyi Company is to promote and apply Chinese computers as the only goal.In the beginning, it was just me and Shen Honglian. It just so happened that Liu Shiwen and Xiong Limin from the top three retired, so I invited them to join.Due to the many things to be done and the shortage of manpower, the newspapers recruited staff.I originally expected to find four Chinese talents, one artist, and four or five electronics students.As a result, except for many Chinese learners, none of the others came. I believe in fate, and I don't want to force it. Fortunately, talents can be trained, but opportunities are beyond my control.There are plenty of Chinese talents, and I chose Yang Meifen, Xu Qiqing, and Jiang Youmo.The second batch included Lin Weijiang, who graduated from the Department of Physics of Fuzhou University, and Lin Xiaoxing, who graduated from the Department of Statistics of Chung Hsing University. Because of his sincere attitude, he also joined our camp. I have never made strict requirements for employing people, and I can play freely according to my personal interests.When recruiting employees, I specially designed a card, and each of Liu Shiwen, Shen Honglian, and Xiong Limin held a card to guard the head.After passing them, it was my turn to interview.There are three marks on the card, so that their opinions can be consulted. When Lin Weijiang came in, he seemed a little nervous and at a loss.I saw that he was studying physics. At that time, I was researching some topics and liked to discuss with people who studied physics. Are you studying physics?I just asked. Oh, don't talk about physics!That is a modern day myth!His gestures are also very unique, as if chasing flies away. I thought to myself, can this kind of person be used?But when I think about it again, where am I going? Do you understand computers? You can say you understand it, or you can say you don’t understand it!He was honest.I looked at the secret notes made in the first pass again, and the three of them agreed and suggested unconditional employment! So what job do you think is suitable for you? Do what you have!He writhed restlessly in the seat, as if struggling in a swimming pool. We are short of a workmate.Such ridicule is very unsuitable, but I don't want to be an emperor. no problem! Later, I once asked Lin Weijiang intentionally or unintentionally why he was willing to come to our company, and he said: Because your company didn’t look like a company at that time, and I like freedom.This is Lin Weijiang. He has a messy mind, but he is warm-hearted and devoted to everything. He has the chivalrous spirit of Don Quixote. As soon as he entered the company, he saw that we were short of manpower, and he often took the initiative to recruit people everywhere.At the exhibition venue, he met two students from Jiaotong University, Lin Menghui and Zhou Zhiyuan. He thought they were rare talents, and we provided a stipend to work for us after graduation.Then I found Lin Jiaxun from a friend and became the manager of the hardware department.We even met Chen Jianquan on the bus and asked Chen to introduce business for us. Someone who can share my worries and let me concentrate on my research work is something I can't ask for, so I will let him play.The problem I am facing is how to improve the font library. After the font library is improved, is there any cheap and feasible computer to make it capable of Chinese.In addition, I can't forget the Chinese typewriter. When I was in the National Army University, I stole several boxes of scrapped electronic parts.I plan to make a sample by myself with those parts and in a difficult way. Unexpectedly, with the rapid advancement of electronic technology, those few boxes of scrapped parts were completely scrapped, and they were useless at all.In order to concentrate on designing the typewriter, I paid a high salary to hire a programmer to write the program for the font library.真是人算不如天算，前後整整耗了半年，我費盡口舌，這位程式師就是無法苟同於我的觀點。有一天，他又來囉嗦，認為我說的是天方夜譚，根本不可能實現。 我早就耐不住了，所有的細節在心中不知流過多少次，程式雖然沒有寫出來，但原稿都在腦海中。當時氣往上沖，不禁大吼一聲：你不必做了，我來寫，保証在一個星期內寫出來！ 他笑著說：那你就自己寫吧，一年也行。 我日以繼夜的寫，果真以一個星期的時間、完成了他認為絕對不可能的一段程式。當然，他無顏再做下去，而我也決定自己動手，不再求人。從此我由硬體改行進入軟體，也幸而有這個機緣，令我得識軟體無限的發展空間，成為一個虔誠的逐夢者。 林維江不甘寂寞，自動跑起業務來。他找到了全亞電腦公司，因為宏碁的天龍中文電腦售價七十多萬，而全亞的PA 800僅售台幣八萬元，而性能卻相去不遠。於是我們與全亞合作，將之改為中文電腦，並以四萬元一台的價格，大量上市。 一九八○年十二月，我們初次參加在松山機場舉行的資訊展覽，所展出的產品是四台全亞的PA 800。我一向反對宣傳廣告，所以只印了一張實實在在的工作報告。而且在最醒目的地方，用大字印出我們的主題：中文電腦，中國人的驕傲！ 下面則是中心思想：為天地立心，為生民立命，為往聖繼絕學，為萬世開太平。 在整個會場上百家廠商中，我們是唯一以中文電腦為訴求者。結果不僅門可羅雀，即使偶而拉了幾個人進來，我們簡陋的設備，寒酸的裝潢也令參觀者渾身不自在。到底在這個勢利的社會中，有沒有中文沒有幾個人關心，有錢有勢才是人人所嚮往的。 林維江在外面很熱心地散發工作報告，他對學生尤其抱著期望。他的看法是老一輩的人觀念已經定型，只有年輕的學生才是我們應該爭取的對象。 有兩個身著大學制服的青年，從我們攤位前走過。林維江忙迎上前去，送上了兩張工作報告。那兩個學生瞄了一眼，雙雙丟在地上。說：媽的！什麼中國人的驕傲？ 林維江氣得頭上冒火，撿起被丟在地上的紙，就打算衝上去理論。幸而同事們都看到了，一齊擁上把他攔住。 這種事我已經司空見慣，而且對那些看不見中文電腦者的心態，也頗表同情。學生接受師長的教導，而師長們則是社會的中堅。在上上下下都還沒有認同中文電腦之前，憑什麼學生能有見識？ 不久，一場電腦的風暴到臨了，蘋果機被翻製上市。由於當年電動娛樂器的大量盛行，國內大小廠商競相投入生產抄襲，而導致各種電動玩具泛濫成災。政府凜於情況之嚴重，下令取締。所有生產廠商一時血本無歸，便紛紛翻製蘋果電腦。大家一窩風的結果，互相賤價競銷，一片主機板在最便宜時只要台幣五千元就買得到。 蘋果電腦的功能與MCZ相近，而它最大的好處是其主機板上有七個插槽，可以任意擴展。且其軟硬體資料開放，人人可以成為體制中之一員，以爭高下。在當時這是一種革命性的觀念，因為電腦公司都有錢有勢，雇用了大批工程師。不論軟硬，大小通吃，外人難以分羹。 蘋果機是一個高中生史蒂夫加柏，在其車庫中自行裝配而成。他請不起工程師，便將電腦的資料公開，歡迎一般大眾或工程師來共同開發。此舉立即引起了社會的共鳴，有了共同的硬體環境，軟體工程師們就可以大展身手。一時，全美有數以千計的軟體工作間成立，蔚為風尚。 我們也看到了這個機會，立即動手設計中文漢卡。先將中文字庫改成蘋果機的機器碼，再把其系統程式之字符輸入處加上了中文的功能。當時周至元參與了部分作業，尤其是最後的收尾工作，可是他卻在畫面上擅自加上自己的名字，燒成硬體後我才發現。 這是個人英雄主義的表現，明示他不會甘居人下。剛好，神通又委托我們代為設計小型的中文電腦小神通。我便把全部工作交給周至元與他的同學林夢輝二人，這一招是中華文化的精華，我學自《左傳》的<鄭伯克段于鄢>。 果然，產品完成後，周至元向我提起神通想用高薪挖他們二人。 我們公司小，薪水不可能提高，我贊成你們去神通。I said lightly. 朱先生，我並沒有說要去神通。周至元解釋說。 為什麼不去呢？ 我們在這裏比較有前途，因為神通公司大，發揮機會小。 我同意，可是別忘了，我的目的不在於做生意而是做研究。 你做你的研究，只要你肯把公司交給我們兩個來經營，保証我們可以比史蒂夫加柏還要成功！他們信心滿滿。 我相信你們有這種能力，可是這卻有違我個人的宗旨。既然你們的理想不在研究發展，我倒有個建議，你們倆與陳建全合組一個公司，正好大大發展一番。為了目前的生計，小神通的案子送給你們，電信局的終端機也算你們的，而且我的中文技術也同意你們免費使用！他們一聽，楞了半響，作聲不得。 當時還有一件案子，是陳建全介紹來的，電信局有一批中文終端機交給我們設計。設計者是林夢輝，進展得不錯。但是我有一次聽到林夢輝抱怨，他認為為人作嫁很不值得。此外，陳建全一直勸我好好做生意，全力把電信局的終端機接下來，就可以大幹特幹，與其他知名的大公司分庭抗禮了。 他們都是對的，但是人各有志，我不想做生意，也不想誤了他們。早就希望把他們撮合在一起，短期於我雖然有損，但在推廣中文電腦的大業上，卻多了一個力量！ 他們志同道合，立刻合組了眾鼎電腦公司，大展宏圖。 林維江是個義人，全心全力在為公司奔走。這些人都是他找來的，我在事後才告訴他。他非常氣憤，認為這些人不講義氣。 我說：義氣不是交易，義字的原意是羊我，羊是犧牲的祭品，以自我為祭。我們只要求自己有義，何必管他人？ 可是他們怎能把我們的生意帶走呢？這樣我們損失太大了！ 不帶生意，他們會走嗎？如果是志同道合的人，五個十個都不算多。否則眼睛裏揉不進一粒砂子，觀念不合的人再因循下去，遲早會出問題的，那又何苦？ 可是我們的財務怎麼辦？他不禁憂心忡忡。 別擔心，有你這個福將，一定能化險為夷。 他真是福將，神通公司不找眾鼎，又委托我們代為設計漢通中文終端機。這次我改派沈紅蓮與林曉星出馬，因為我瞭解神通的問題所在，他們有的是軟硬體技術人才，所需要的只是中文解決方案而已。 我的建議是完全以他們的終端機為主，我們只要將中文字庫及字碼的程式轉過去，與他們的系統介面聯接就可以了。這種轉換技術，只要沈紅蓮與林曉星就足夠了。 果然，這個重大的任務，不到兩個月工作完成了。以產品而言，漢通頗為成功，尤其是當初賣到大陸就有數百台之多，不像小神通，風大雨小。 蘋果漢卡完成了，林維江又找了一個年輕人侯建耀來，是佳佳電腦公司的總經理。他因為抄襲日本的電動玩具發了財，想要轉行，打算全權代理我們的漢卡。 我正為銷售的問題頭痛，因此欣然同意，付了訂金簽了約，侯建耀將這片中文卡命名為漢卡。由於他們是破密專家，深悉個中三昧，深怕別人翻製。便在卡上動了不少手腳，既加明膠、又加暗線，把漢卡弄成了一塊硯台。 漢卡的售價也高，一片賣一萬八千塊錢，當然比起其他中文電腦而言，已經是不可同日而語了。但蘋果主機板只賣幾千，比起來漢卡就顯得奇貴無比。為了能讓學生早日接觸中文電腦，我便另外開發了一種學生專用的版本。 正常的漢卡中有三萬五千個中文字形，而學生版中則刪去了近一千個次常用字，售價降為一萬二千塊，一時大受學生歡迎。 佳佳代理的條件是正常版本每片權利金兩千元，學生版一千，每季支付一次。簽約時看去不過兩千元，不覺得有多少，但一到付款，總數竟有近百萬元。 侯建耀抱怨權利金付得太多，我對他說：研究開發是很辛苦的，我們要有經費繼續開發新產品。 我知道，可是你只要做一次，就可以收一輩子。我們每一片都要成本，生產、包裝、銷售、服務，一層一層地分攤下去，賺的沒有你多！ 如果你認為我賺多了，我倒有個解決辦法！ any solution? 今後我不再收你的權利金！人只要不計己利，條條大路都可行。 What?你不要錢？他實在難以相信自己的耳朵。 是的，我的目標是要推廣中文電腦。我不要錢，你才能賣得便宜。你賣得便宜，使用者才得到實惠，最後成功的是我！我據實以告。 You keep your word?我要找律師來作證的囉！他猶自半信半疑。 當然，只是有個交換條件，你獨家銷售的權利也撤消，人人可賣。 他高興不起來了，考慮了一會，說：大家都能賣？大家都沒有好處呀！ 大家都有好處，比如說，你有，因為成本降低了；其他廠商有，有產品可以賣；用戶有，板子一定便宜；我也有，中文電腦普及了！ 不，沒有這樣簡單，一定有問題，我回去想想再說。He hesitated. 天下的問題實在簡單不過，只緣人心中有個天平，總希望自己的利益多些。要自己多，好解決；要別人少，也不難；但一個人想通吃，問題就大了。 過了幾天，侯建耀打電話來。他提出條件，其他廠商只限五家，每家我都必須收費，而且要我把各家的名字告訴他！ 我同意了，又是林維江發揮想像力的時候了，他一天內就在中華商場找到五家零售商。每家以五萬元台幣的代價，一次賣斷，以後任他們自由銷售，不再收受分文。我通知侯建耀，他則把這五家邀集一堂，希望大家聯合經營，由佳佳統一生產。 孰料林維江所找的五家都有小小的生產規模，各有降低成本的神通。最後他們談判破裂，在自由競爭下，每片售價最便宜時僅要一千多元。是以漢卡大獲成功，奠定了中文電腦的市場，自後戰場轉移了，逐漸進入戰國群雄的局面。 在漢卡的強大壓力下，各家廠商才看出，原來中文電腦也有價值！除了神通公司外，我們還設計了誠洲的倉頡中文終端機；經緯公司的中文終端機。其中最成功的個案，是我們看中了易卜生（Epson）印字機，在漢卡上附送了列印的中文介面，不到三個月，易卜生印字機就賣了一萬多台。 此外，我們專門修改電腦系統，使之中文化。那是一種高難度的技術挑戰，因為當時所有的電腦都是封閉系統。沒有線路圖、技術手冊、系統規格等，甚至於委託我們修改的經銷廠商完全不知道那些資料有什麼用。 我唯一的法門是下死功夫的方式，每種機器任命一、兩位工程師，將其系統程式從頭到尾，一步一步地追蹤下去。只要找到有空隙之處，就硬性填上一個入口，將其鍵盤輸入之介面直接改到我們這邊來。 好在當時的電腦多半採用Z80CPU，所以對我們的字庫而言，反而比用在漢卡上還要容易得多。我們改過的機器不下十餘種，但目前記得的僅有下列各類： NEC，TOSHIBA，SHARP，ALTOS，NORTH｜STAR等。 做多了，這種技術堪稱舉世一絕，但是我堅持僅以推廣中文為唯一目的，不發展應用軟體，故公司的財務狀況一直沒有起色。前述的中文電腦修改工作收費不一，最多不超過三十萬，我們的期望全在幾個終端機上，每套有五千元的權利金收入。 神通電腦公司的中文部經理劉大衛常在晚上打完牌後，買幾個肉包子，過來聊天。他雖然從事電腦工作，卻是個性情中人，我們很談得來，但各有立場，互不退讓。 他說，不論如何，即使神通公司關門，也絕不用倉頡輸入法。為的是一個氣字，因為神通最初是國內電腦界的龍頭，花了數年，投資了數千萬元，發展了一套大鍵盤的中文終端機。他們公司對這個計劃重視無比，倒不是為了生意，而是抱著文化傳承的自我期許！結果天龍破雲而出，一個外行的黑手以及當時電腦界的小兵宏碁突然冒了出來。神通空有神通，卻鬧得名財兩空！ 我們每次見面便辯個不休，每次沈紅蓮都在場。她正在學習觀察人性，所以一會兒給我幫腔，一會兒替他說項，弄得劉大衛經常笑也不是惱也不是。 對我而言，與性格明朗的人交手，的確是一種人性的研究課題。以一個從事科技的人來說，劉大衛反應之敏銳，非常罕見。他很有能力，也極有見解，但心中那座堡壘牢不可破。我修道多年，深知執著是最大的障礙，而他的執著正是我的借鏡。 他最大的恨事，是我與一個無濟濟名的小公司宏碁合作，打了神通一個耳光！事實上，神通是我最先求助的電腦公司之一，奈何公司名氣大了，其員工就算沒有神通、也有太多的神氣！ 你為什麼不直接來找我？他更神氣！ Looking for you?那要過五關斬六將，我可不是關雲長！ How can it be?我們公司開放得很，專門招賢納才！ 這叫成長的極限！你們是台灣電腦界的牛首，當牛長得過於壯大時，就只能進欄中食，而無法低頭吃新鮮的青草了！ 有次，他又帶了包子來，告訴我一個好消息，說我們設計的漢通賣得不錯。權利金下來了，總數有一百多萬，可以立刻給我。but!他有一個先決條件，否則便不付錢，連打官司都在所不惜！ 我知道他的條件，就是要把我們納入神通的旗下。歷史不能倒溯，早先神通如果能接受我的技術，中文電腦史決非後來的模樣。但木已成舟，現在為了中文電腦的前途，我不能有私利，不能具有任何色彩。我笑著對他說：老劉，你的錢留著吧，你不付，我也不要！ Huh?你還沒問我條件，怎麼就拒絕了？ 你的條件是要我與神通全面合作，把其他公司排除在外。 這有哪點不好？你可以安心做研究了。他認為是施恩於我。 中文電腦已經不是技術問題，這是文化，文化是屬於全民的，不能以個人的利害為導向。我再苦都有辦法熬過去，但是如果文化的方向操縱在少數人手中，後果將十分嚴重。我雖然很辛苦，但今天只要有一分力量，就要堅持一天。 什麼操縱不操縱？有神通公司幫你推廣，中文電腦成功不更快嗎？ 不見得，就以你為例，為什麼不用倉頡輸入法？ I said!不管你怎麼說，我還是這樣說！宏碁用了我就不用！ 對了，這就叫門戶之見！宏碁已非昔日吳下阿蒙，如果神通用我的技術，他們就會排斥！其他的廠商何獨不然？誰不想獨佔市場？今天中文電腦技術尚未成熟，我必須保持中立，讓大家都能參與，否則會危害中文電腦的前途！ Who are you?難道你能主宰中文電腦市場？ 當然不能，所以我勸你不要找我，天下有能力的人很多，正需要你們支持。 真是笑話！天下哪有你這樣談生意的人？ 我不是生意人！我的確不是，我只是不慎踏進了這個行業。 Brother!你要活命，這裏有十幾個員工，他們也要生存呀！ 那不表示我就必須卑躬曲膝，被人牽著鼻子走！ Hello!Hello!誰要你卑躬曲膝？劉大衛的肉包子咬了一半，有些火大了：你可是要搞清楚，我是好心幫你解決問題！ 謝了，我也是好心告訴你，我有我的原則！ 老劉果然不付錢，我也真的不要。不久，消息傳到經緯公司，他們中文部的王經理打電話問我，我承認是事實。王經理聽了，也決定不付，而我更是如同毛坑裡的石頭，不付拉倒！ 結果那幾個月我們過得非常艱苦，所幸同仁們頗能諒解，大家同意領半薪。我到處借錢，沈紅蓮也幫我借來二十萬，才能勉強度過。（不過這兩家公司的款項，在我出奔美國後，他們還是付清了。） 就在我們財務最困難的時候，香港有位梁醫師給我們寄來美金一千元，說是贊助我們研究。此外還有一位無名氏，也贈了五百元美金。雖然數目不大，但對我們精神上的鼓勵，卻不是金錢可以衡量的。我很感激他們，也更嚴格地自我要求，堅持立場。 金寶公司有位董事周永嘉，是老友孫振先的親戚，老孫介紹他來投資。他對中文沒有興趣，只希望有個符合市場需求的事業。正好我在做字庫，看到了一個新的方向就是電腦繪圖。我仔細分析過，認為將是市場的明日之星。在硬體上可以利用電玩系統改良，而軟體則只是一些繪圖程式而已。 我便建議周永嘉從事電腦繪圖，技術全部由我負責。至於資金，不過每個月五、六十萬，支付一些工程師費用。周永嘉聽了，認為我說的是科幻小說，他說：能不能有什麼現成的實在的事業呢？ 你認為什麼最實在呢？ 我不知道，所以來找你。 別人沒有做過的，或者沒有做成功過的，那實在嗎？ 當然不，我希望保險一點的。 別人都會做，人人在賺錢的，這總夠實在了吧？ 我不同意，金寶公司很賺錢，但是沒有特色，賺得很辛苦。 是了，要別人不會，而自己又能賺錢的。 對了，最好馬上能兌現的，你能出什麼點子嗎？ 對不起，我沒有。 這是老實話，要做別人不會的，就要自行研究。要一定能賺錢的，則需要市場的肯定。這兩者之間有矛盾，產品在沒有研究出來以前，不可能上市，更免談保証了。