(Thank you to book friends Lonely Nanfeng, Shui Yuwen and Lang Zhidao for their enthusiastic and generous rewards. Thank you to book friends Li Shengyang for your persistent support. Thank you for your enthusiastic encouragement. I will add an extra chapter for you today.)
On the second day after arriving in Helsinki,
Without any arrangement from the boss, Fan Qingyun and Luo Qianjin went out early in the morning and did not come back until noon, with thick frost already hanging on their eyebrows.
"Oh, I'm freezing to death, I'm freezing to death, I feel like my face is frozen." Fan Qingyun's face turned blue from the cold, and he kept jumping on his feet.
Luo Qianjin said pitifully;
"I feel like my two feet are no longer my own. The weather here is really too cold. The worst thing is that Lao Fan shouted to go out early in the morning. As a result, he didn't go to work until 9:30, so we waited outside for more than an hour.
I almost froze."
"Hey! It's my fault, it's all my fault." Fan Qingyun was a little embarrassed.
Wang Yaocheng held the hot coffee pot and poured a large cup for each of them;
"Drink some coffee to warm yourself up first. The heater in the room is too hot. Wait for a while to relax a little. Go to the snow and bring two basins of dry snow back. Wipe your hands and feet. They must be red to let the blood flow.
Circulate everything thoroughly to prevent your hands and feet from freezing."
"Why."
After a busy period, Fan Qingyun began to report the news he had learned;
Linus Benardikt Torvalds is 23 years old this year. His grandfather Leowalder Martenquivit is a professor of statistics at the University of Helsinki.
Linus has lived here since he was a child and spent his university years here. Almost every faculty member at the University of Helsinki knows him.
Speaking of this slovenly Finnish young man Linus, he was a genius who learned computer programming. He initially developed the Linux operating system just to facilitate hacking into the school system so that he could read news or program online.
At that time, dial-up Internet access at home was slow and expensive. Internet access through school computers was free and fast.
With this simple wish, he quickly took action.
One year ago, on January 2, 1991, just after Christmas, Finland was covered in snow and winter.
With the money from Christmas and birthday red envelopes, Linus went to a mom-and-pop computer shop in Helsinki and spent US$3,500 to DIY a computer that was unremarkable on the outside but powerful on the inside.
Later, he configured a minix version of the Unix operating system for the new computer.
When everything was ready, Linus got to work. He soon discovered that the minix version of the Unix operating system was not easy to use at all and was super bad.
However, in order to hack the school system, he spent all his pocket money. Linus was scratching his head and scratching his head when he failed to achieve his goal.
Simply have a heartbeat;
In this case, start from the bare metal and rewrite an operating system.
Anyway, in winter in Finland, there is nowhere to go but stay at home. Linus has neither a girlfriend nor a boyfriend, he is just a nerd.
Ever since
Linus began a monotonous 24 hours a day;
Program ~ sleep ~ program ~ eat pretzels ~ program ~ eat bread or take a shower ~ program...
Father Neil Stovars said worriedly to mother Mickey, "This child is out of touch with the outside world. Let him find a job quickly and make some friends."
Mickey is even more worried about another thing; "How can any good girl fall in love with him if he stays at home all day?"
"well!"
They both sighed at the same time.
After eight and a half months, Linus finally finished typing the last line of code. The initial version of the Linux operating system was uploaded to ftp, with more than 10,000 lines of source code.
Now
This poor boy couldn't even spare $100. He developed the Linux operating system purely for fun and had no commercial purpose.
Although the Linux operating system has gradually attracted the interest of computer enthusiasts since it was uploaded, no major companies have paid attention to it yet.
this……
This is the opportunity that Wang Yaocheng has been waiting for for a long time, and it is also the ultimate goal of this trip.
Wang Yaocheng thought about it carefully and said, "Well, tomorrow we will visit you and discuss this issue face to face."
"Should we learn more about it from the side? As far as I know, his father Niels Torvalds is an active red element and was once elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Finnish Marxist-Leninist Party. Should we be more cautious and get in touch with other people first?
"Listen to what their family members think?" Fan Qingyun was more cautious.
"No, let's talk straight to the point." Wang Yaocheng made the final decision.
Today is January 27th, just a few days away from the Spring Festival on February 5th.
In this frost-covered Northern Europe, thousands of miles away from the motherland, it would be a lie to say that you don't miss your hometown. Even Cai Linlin, who has always been lively, would wet her pillowcase with tears when she fell asleep at night.
Although she didn't say it out loud, Wang Yaocheng knew that she was homesick.
Chinese people, no matter where they are, thousands of miles away from home, fly back to their hometown like returning migratory birds every Spring Festival.
There are familiar local accents, missing family members, the land where I was raised, friends I grew up with, all the familiar sounds, faces and faces, and roots that make people dream.
What's more, the chief minister is on tour in the south, and the spring thunder of reform will soon spread across the land of China.
A more enthusiastic wave of economic development is coming.
the next day
ten o'clock in the morning
In front of an ordinary two-story building, the bushes were covered with heavy snow.
Only the road in the middle of the yard has been cleared of snow, and only the general outline of the garden at the door can be seen. Everything is white and covered with snow.
Neil Storvalds and Mickey and his wife stood at the door and welcomed Wang Yaocheng, Fan Qingyun and Cai Linlin and received exquisite gifts.
"Oh, my God! Petrus (Petrus Winery) red wine, Lindt chocolate, your gifts are too precious." Mrs. Mickey exclaimed involuntarily.
"As long as you like it, Mrs. Mickey, this is just a little bit of our thoughts."
"But you are too enthusiastic, I..." Mrs. Mickey didn't know what to say.
Mr. Neil Storvalds is doing much better;
"Welcome, friends from Hong Kong. At first I was surprised when I received the call, hahaha, please come in, friends, the winter in Finland is very cold."
"Is Mr. Linus at home? We came here specifically to visit him."
"Yeah, still playing on his computer."
A group of people entered the house, and the wood in the fireplace was burning brightly, making a "cracking" sound, and the orange-red flames gave people a warm feeling.
Only in the harsh winter of Northern Europe do people know how essential a large fireplace is.
At this time, Linus came down from upstairs. He was a shy nerd and a slovenly man in science and engineering. The sweater he was wearing had his elbows shiny.
"Hi, Linus, we saw the system you made on the Internet, it's great!"
"Hi."
Linus was a little embarrassed. He was not good at chatting with others.
After some pleasantries, Linus already knew the purpose of Pacific Company's visit, and with a struggling look on his face, he said;
"I don't want what I make to be used for commercial purposes, and applying for a patent is something I resist. I'm not interested in it."
"We are interested in your operating system. We want to buy it, improve it, and put it on the Internet for free use so that more people can use it. Don't you want to listen to our offer?"
Fan Qingyun was the main negotiator today, while Wang Yaocheng and Cai Linlin served as assistants, observing the family's performance.
"Well……"
"Then let's listen. After all, guests from Hong Kong have come all the way. For this sincerity, we also want to let our friends finish what they have to say."
Seeing the reluctance on his son's face, Mr. Neil Storvalds took the initiative to intervene to prevent the matter from being irreversible.
"Our offer is $100,000 in cash."
In order to be more shocking, after Manager Fan Qingyun reported the price, Wang Yaocheng silently opened his suitcase and took out ten thick stacks of US dollars, all of which were green Franklins. It was very visually impactful when placed on the table.
The whole family was speechless. They stared at the thick stack of 10 US dollar bills, and the room fell into an eerie silence.
Manager Fan Qingyun said slowly, "Our request is that the intellectual property rights of the Linux operating system belong to Arctic Ocean Company. At the same time, Arctic Ocean Company will invest in setting up a research institute at the University of Helsinki to conduct in-depth development and improvement of the Linux operating system.
We sincerely invite Mr. Linus, as the technical director of the project, to join in the development of this project, and hire high-level SE (system engineers) and PG (programmers) to participate in this meaningful work.
.
Of course, we can be used for free on the Internet, and all intellectual property rights belong to Arctic Ocean Company."
The per capita income in Finland in 1991 was US$25,000. This Nordic country has the smallest gap between rich and poor in the world, which means that even university professors are not much higher than ordinary workers.
At the same time, Finland is also a society with high taxes and high welfare, and 1/4 of the income is used to pay taxes.
It doesn't cost money to go to school, and it doesn't cost money to get medical care. The biggest expenses for ordinary people are mortgages and car loans, and the other is traveling abroad or owning a cabin in the countryside for vacation.
Therefore, the family's living expenses are still relatively tight because Mr. Neil Storvalds works to support the family.
"Mickey, haven't you always wanted to go on vacation to Italy? Enjoy the warm Mediterranean sunshine and beaches." Mr. Neil Stovars' voice was a little dry; "Linus, haven't you always wanted a better computer?
I also have my own second-hand car, so I can take my friends to the lake."
"Niles, I remember your dream of owning a Harley motorcycle and riding it across the European continent all the way to Normandy, France." Mrs. Mickey said softly.
Linus was completely speechless. This matter was no longer something he could decide. Moreover, he was very moved by the dollar bills on the table and couldn't even say a word to refuse.
A 486 computer, that would be such a cool thing.
Fan Qingyun stood up when he saw the opportunity and extended his hand enthusiastically; "It's a pleasure to cooperate."
“A pleasure to work with.”
The matter was settled so easily. Immediately, Luo Qianjin came with the appointed patent lawyer and quickly completed the corresponding procedures.
Since then, the Linux operating system patent has entered the possession of Arctic Ocean Company and will never be released.