kvmb Chapter 70 The Ways to Play on the Internet Are Different
Chapter 70 The Ways to Play on the Internet Are Different
In that quiet corner, the storm in Clark's heart was far from over; on the contrary, it became even more turbulent because of Ling Yun's series of subversive ideas.
After experiencing a series of rollercoaster-like thought shocks, from "antitrust litigation is useless" to "attacking the operating system" and then to "the browser is the shell of the operating system", Clark's brain, after running at high speed, finally slowed down and focused on the most realistic problem - how to turn the exciting "browser as desktop" concept into reality.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and his gaze became sharp and pragmatic again as he looked at Ling Yun, who remained calm and composed.
"Mr. Ling," Clark's voice carried a hint of negotiating seriousness, "your vision... is truly astonishing, even revolutionary. I admit, I'm convinced; Netscape needs this entirely new track. So, how should we begin? What are the specific methods of cooperation?"
Ling Yun knew that the critical moment had arrived. He needed to come up with a practical and feasible solution, not just an empty concept.
"The collaboration can begin immediately on three levels," Ling Yun explained clearly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. "First, the technological foundation. I will completely open-source the core of the 'Star System'."
"Open source?" Clark raised an eyebrow slightly. In this era when Linux had not yet demonstrated its huge commercial potential, open source was still a decision that a commercial company needed to consider carefully.
"Yes, open source." Ling Yun nodded affirmatively. "As I mentioned before, this helps unite more developers and form an ecosystem. We open source the kernel to attract global developers to participate in its improvement and porting, ensuring its stability and compatibility. And we place our core competitiveness and control on the upper-level graphics environment and the 'system shell' we jointly built based on Netscape Navigator."
He paused, then added, "Of course, as a deep partner, Netscape will have the right to advise on the direction of kernel development and the right to prioritize adaptation."
Clark pondered. The plan sounded feasible: opening up the most basic, heavily invested parts and focusing efforts on the more differentiated and user-friendly upper layers.
"Secondly," Ling Yun continued, "is the transfer of talent and knowledge. In the early stages of the project, I can serve as a special technical consultant for Netscape, regularly training your engineering team to explain the design philosophy, technical challenges, and implementation path of this new 'browser as a platform' architecture. At the same time, I will arrange for core engineers from my operating system R&D team to conduct in-depth collaboration and joint development with Netscape's browser team to ensure seamless integration between the underlying system and the upper-layer 'shell' browser."
This means that Lingyun will not only provide ideas, but also the key technologies and talent support to realize those ideas. This greatly boosted Clark's confidence.
"Third, product development. Netscape needs to start and complete the development of its next-generation browser as soon as possible based on this new architectural concept." Ling Yun looked at Clark. "This browser will no longer be a simple web browsing tool; it must be high-performance, highly stable, and highly customizable, capable of shouldering the responsibility of serving as the 'foreground of the operating system.' Its codename might be... 'Navigator OS Shell'?"
"Navigator OS Shell..." Clark repeated the name, his eyes gleaming, perfectly summarizing the essence of the project.
"Okay!" Clark didn't hesitate any longer and decisively extended his hand. "Mr. Ling, we'll do as you say! Netscape will immediately assemble a dedicated team, and the technical integration between IceCloud and us will begin as soon as possible! I'll have the legal department finalize the details of the cooperation agreement with you as quickly as possible!"
The two hands clasped tightly together symbolize the initial formation of a technology alliance aimed at challenging Microsoft's dominance.
However, just as the atmosphere was improving, Ling Yun looked at Clark and once again offered a suggestion that would cause Clark's heart to stop.
"Mr. Clark, since we can consider open source at the operating system level, why not take our thinking a step further?" Ling Yun's tone was probing and leading. "I suggest that Netscape's browser itself should also be made free, or even... open source."
"What?! Free?! Open source browser?!" Clark nearly jumped out of his chair like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Ling, do you know that browser licensing fees are one of our most important sources of revenue? Free? How do we make a profit? Engineers' salaries, server costs, are we going to live off thin air?"
His reaction was exactly what Ling Yun had expected. In 1996, software sales were a perfectly legitimate business model.
Ling Yun didn't directly refute him, but calmly countered with, "Mr. Clark, how long do you think Netscape's licensing fee revenue can last under Microsoft's offensive of bundling Internet Explorer for free? A year? Or two?"
One sentence instantly cooled Clark's excitement, like being doused with cold water. Indeed, when a free, constantly improving version of Internet Explorer flooded the market with every new computer, who would be willing to pay for a similar browser? The licensing model was inherently fragile in the face of Microsoft's free strategy.
"But profitability..." Clark's voice lowered, tinged with confusion.
"The profit model needs to be redesigned." Ling Yun's voice carried a confident understanding of the future. "The operational logic of the Internet age is different from that of the traditional software industry, and even from traditional industries in general."
He gave a ready, vivid example: "Look at Yahoo!, does it make money now? Does it charge users for searching and browsing news?"
Clark shook his head. Yahoo indeed doesn't charge ordinary users.
"But is it short of money? Is its valuation low in the capital market?" Lingyun continued to ask.
The answer is clearly no. Despite its losses, Yahoo's stock price continued to rise, making it a favorite among investors.
"Why?" Ling Yun asked himself, answering his own question, "Because what the capital market values is not its current profits, but its huge user traffic and unlimited future possibilities! As long as you occupy the entrance and have a massive user base, you can slowly explore the profit model—GG, value-added services, e-commerce... there will always be a way to monetize the traffic."
He shifted his focus back to browsers: "What is a browser? It's the gateway to the internet, the gatekeeper of traffic! If Netscape Navigator insists on charging, it's like setting up a tollbooth in front of its own gate, handing over a large number of users to the free Internet Explorer. But if Netscape Navigator is free, or even open source, it can expand rapidly and occupy every corner of the market!"
Ling Yun's tone became extremely serious: "The primary task now is not to worry about the gains or losses of a single city or region, but to survive, to seize the strategic high ground, and to absolutely prevent Microsoft from using its monopoly to dominate the browser market and thus control the entire internet gateway!"
"As long as Netscape Navigator can maintain its huge market share and have a massive user base, it will have the capital to compete with Microsoft and the infinite possibilities to explore various profit models in the future. Users come first, then business. This is the new rule of the Internet age."
Clark fell completely silent. He leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed, a fierce internal struggle raging within him.
Ling Yun's words were like a crack opening in his established business acumen. Free? Open source? This completely contradicted his business instincts honed over many years. But on the other hand, he couldn't deny the sharpness and accuracy of Ling Yun's analysis of the situation, especially with the Yahoo example right before his eyes.
Microsoft's pressure is a reality, and the decline in browser licensing fees was foreseeable. Perhaps... we really need to change our way of life?
"Free...open source..." Clark muttered to himself, looking at Ling Yun with a complicated expression. "Ling, your ideas are always so...disruptive. I need time, I need to think about this carefully with Mark and the board of directors."
"Of course." Ling Yun nodded understandingly. A change in mindset takes time, especially when it comes to issues involving the company's core business model.
While the question of whether browsers should be free and open source remains unresolved, a new competitive strategy centered on open-source operating system kernels and the concept of "browser as desktop" has quietly taken shape within this club.