area51novel Chapter 432 Apex and Global Information Network
Chapter 432 Apex and Global Information Network
In August 1991, in a villa on Sentosa Island, Singapore, the sea breeze blew through the open French windows, dispelling the afternoon's sweltering heat.
In the living room, Chenchen and Xixi had just finished their afternoon nap, their cheeks still flushed.
Xi Xi is full of energy and is trying to build a "palace" for Xiao Qi, who is dozing off next to her, with building blocks. Unfortunately, her skills are not good and the "palace" looks more like a dilapidated building that may collapse at any time.
Chenchen sat quietly on the carpet next to his father, fiddling with a set of tangrams in his hands, his expression focused, and he was already able to piece together several decent patterns.
Lin Yan sat on the sofa, holding a briefing that Lin Yi had just delivered.
His gaze swept over the analyses of the aftermath of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the subtle fluctuations in global capital markets, finally settling on a brief technical news item in the lower right corner.
The news article was accompanied by a photo of a bespectacled, smiling British scientist standing next to a uniquely designed NeXT computer.
The headline reads: "Global Information Network Opens to the Public, Tim Berners-Lee Releases Project Overview."
Lin Yan tapped his fingertips lightly on the briefing.
August 6, 1991, an ordinary day, but one that would completely reshape the face of human civilization.
HTTP, HTML, URL... these seemingly dry technical terms are about to weave together a global information network.
He knew that this scientist named Tim harbored a spirit of openness and sharing, and even voluntarily gave up a huge opportunity to commercialize the network in order to maintain its unity and freedom.
Lin Yan found this idealism precious yet somewhat naive, as the tides of the world are often not determined by personal sentiments.
Almost at the same moment, on the living room television, the female anchor, who was broadcasting financial and technological news, interrupted with a breaking news report, her voice brimming with barely concealed excitement:
Amid the children's expectant gazes, Lin Yan unpacked the laptop and took out the notebook computer, which appeared somewhat bulky from a futuristic perspective but was enough to amaze the world in 1991.
The streamlined silver-gray magnesium alloy casing gleams with a cool and sophisticated luster under the light streaming in from the window.
The keyboard area is integrated with the wide wrist rest, and a black trackball is embedded in the center below the keyboard. Everything about it is completely different from the bulky "portable" computers of today.
"Wow! It's shiny!" Xi Xi reached out her little hand and carefully touched the cool fuselage.
Lin Yan pressed the power button, and after a slight buzzing sound, the screen lit up, displaying the "LM" logo and a simple graphical interface.
He held Xixi's little hand and guided her index finger to gently push the trackball.
The arrows on the screen then moved smoothly.
"It moved! Daddy, it listens to me!" Xi Xi exclaimed in surprise.
Chenchen leaned closer, pointing at the small icons on the screen and asking, "What... is this?"
"This is for writing, and this is for drawing."
Lin Yan operated the program, opening a simple drawing program and using the trackball to draw a sun and a small house in a crooked manner.
"See, now you can draw."
Despite the clumsy strokes, it was nothing short of magic in the eyes of the two children.
Xi Xi insisted on drawing a flower, while Chen Chen watched intently as his father opened a folder containing some pre-saved, brightly colored animal pictures.
"In the future, people can use this 'magic box' to connect to a very, very large, invisible 'net'."
Lin Yan let the children take turns "driving" the trackball while describing it in a language they could understand.
"This net covers the whole world, with all the books, all the pictures, and children in very, very far places."
"Is it farther than going to England to see Uncle Albert?" Xi Xi asked.
"Much farther than that."
Lin Yan smiled.
"With this 'magic box' and that 'net,' you can sit in your home in Singapore and see pictures of British castles, hear sounds of the American prairie, and talk to many people."
Wang Yuling brought over some fruit and couldn't help but smile when she saw the father and his two sons huddled together in front of the laptop.
"Young master, this thing is really ingenious. It's so much better than the telegraph machine we used back then."
"This is just the beginning, Yuling."
Lin Yan put Xi Xi down, letting her and Chen Chen continue figuring out how to use the trackball to click the icons, while he leaned back on the sofa.
"Once this 'network' is spread out, the world will become smaller, and information will flow faster. The ways we do business, socialize, and acquire knowledge will all be completely changed."
He gazed out the window at the azure sea and sky, his eyes deep and thoughtful. Tim Berners-Lee had provided the blueprint and key to the new world, and he, in turn, was determined to ensure that the Lin Group was not only a visitor to this new world, but also a builder of critical infrastructure and a key player in establishing its rules.
The hardware (Apex) is just the entry point; what's more important is the ecosystem, services, and influence built upon that entry point.
The launch of "Apex" is not just about selling products, but also about anchoring a gateway to an era of explosive growth.
A few days later, in a confidential conference room on the top floor of the Lin Group's Singapore headquarters.
Besides Lin Yan, the only attendees were Lin Yi, Albert (via remote connection), and several core leaders of the group's technology sector, all of whom were close confidants.
A simple diagram was projected on the wall, outlining the three-layer architecture of "Terminal Devices (Apex)," "Network Access," and "Content and Services."
"Young Master, the first batch of orders for Apex 101 has exceeded expectations, especially from universities and research institutions in Europe and America."
The head of the technology sector reported.
"They are very satisfied with the powerful performance of the 'Galaxy 6880' processor and 10MB of memory, considering it an ideal mobile research and development platform. Many people have already begun to try using it to connect to the so-called 'Global Information Network'."
Lin Yan nodded:
"To maintain technological leadership, we need a clear roadmap for product iteration. The next steps are to make the device lighter, the screen clearer, and the battery longer. The trackball is just a transition; we need more precise pointing devices, and we can start developing the touchpad concept."
Another person in charge of the interface,
"In terms of network access, we have our own telecom operator, which allows us to directly invest in building a higher-speed backbone network. At the same time, the modem division of 'Leader Technology' is already developing smaller and more efficient data cards that are more suitable for 'Apex'."
"Very good. But remember one thing: hardware and pipelines will eventually become 'basic resources.' The real value lies in the 'content' and 'services' that run on top of them."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:
"We have three things to do. First, create the earliest 'portal' website. Not a simple list of information, but a functional website that integrates news, search, and email. We can call it 'Navigator,' so that when people open Apex, our site is the first thing they want to connect to."
"Secondly, we will establish a venture capital department to focus on finding and supporting startups based on the global information network, especially teams involved in online communication, information retrieval, and the potential future of... online transactions. We will quietly establish our presence by exchanging capital and our technological resources for equity."
"The third, and most important yet most crucial step, requires the utmost caution: the browser. The currently popular NCSA Mosaic is good, but it's American. We need our own browser—one that performs better, is more stable, and perhaps supports some new features earlier. Don't use the Lin family name; find a reliable shell company, recruit top talent, and develop it quietly. This is the gateway to the 'online' world, and we cannot hand the key to others."
Albert's voice came through the speaker: "Legal and patent barriers need to be planned in advance. Although the core technology of the Global Information Network is open, a patent war surrounding its applications will break out sooner or later. Our team needs to prepare defenses and make strategic plans."
The meeting lasted for several hours and outlined a grand and forward-looking business and technology blueprint.
When everyone left to carry out their orders, leaving only Lin Yan in the conference room, the sky outside the window was already filled with stars.
It was late at night when we returned to the villa.
In the children's room, Xiaoqi, Chenchen, and Xixi were already fast asleep.
The silver-gray Apex 101 sat quietly on the small desk, with pens and paper scattered around it, as if it were a visitor from the future, quietly blending into the family.