After rebirth, I became a great master

Chapter 396: Good Luck

He managed to win over Du Jiayun by being shameless.

Vice Principal Guo also breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Haoran chuckled and said, "Principal Guo, you're a principal, and you can't even approve such a small budget?"

Vice Principal Guo said with difficulty, "The school has regulations that the budget is fixed. Staying within the budget is considered a success, and exceeding the budget is considered a failure. Why do we need to purchase operating systems separately when buying computers?"

"That's how it's done in China."

Because Zhou Haoran got involved, he gained new insights into many things he didn't understand before.

That's how many things are.

As an outsider, you'll never understand, so you can only laugh, ridicule, and spread rumors from the sidelines.

Only after getting involved did I understand what was going on.

For example, operating systems.

In recent years, China has been promoting the localization of technology, and many institutions have been calling for the development of a domestically produced operating system to replace Windows.

Those who don't understand might get excited, thinking that a strong country can technologically and independently confront the United States.

Those in the know think this is just nonsense.

Let alone now, even 20 or 30 years from now, given China's technological strength and industrial base, it will be impossible to develop a world-class large-scale commercial operating system.

It was like a farce.

Are the leaders really that stupid? And what are those so-called experts who are actively involved doing? Are they just trying to scam funding and money?
At this moment, Zhou Haoran had a new understanding.

Whether a domestically developed system can be created, or how bad or terrible it will be after it is created... none of these matters.

This could provide an alternative reason.

Just like how Zhou Haoran persuaded President Du this time.

Spending so much money to purchase Windows systems is such a waste! There's no difference between pirated and genuine versions. School funds are so precious, why waste them on foreign companies?

But if we don't buy a Windows system, what should we buy?
We can't just openly use pirated software, can we?

That requires an excuse.

Zhou Haoran's excuse was the Linux system, which is pure scoundrel work. The original Linux system is very unfriendly... not to mention ordinary people, many professionals don't know how to use it.

The idea that Fudan University would install this system on 900 computers is pure nonsense.

However, what if there were a domestically developed operating system?

This provides a perfectly legitimate alternative.

This saves money and maintains a basic level of dignity. Government agencies, public institutions, state-owned enterprises, and universities can then legitimately refuse Microsoft and purchase domestically developed operating systems instead.

The reason is very compelling!
In reality, you'll still need to install the Windows system when you get back.

The country has over a billion people.

Over the next ten years, this could save at least several hundred billion dollars in procurement costs!
Wouldn't the money saved be used for national development?

Zhou Haoran asked, "Principal Guo, is the budget for your computer room project insufficient?"

Vice Principal Guo sighed, "That's right, there's still a shortfall in the network service fees for this computer room."

"I have an idea."

Zhou Haoran remembered Dongfang Lang's suggestion.

"Hmm?" Vice Principal Guo's eyes lit up. He came from an administrative background and knew nothing about IT engineering, so he relied entirely on Dr. Zhou to enlighten him. "What method?"

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "In the computer room, there's a batch of machines that are going to be retired. There are also a lot of second-hand computers that the leaders and teachers have discarded."

"Huh?" Vice Principal Guo immediately remembered that he had seen a relevant application document before. "It seems that the student council needs to apply."

Zhou Haoran scoffed, "What would the student council do with these used computers? They'll probably refurbish them and sell them to freshmen. Principal Guo, leave this to me, I'll handle it for you! I'll take care of everything at once, saving you the trouble!"

How do you cover the whole thing?

Vice Principal Guo didn't understand, but he also wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "Give me all the machines, and give the school a package price. With this money, your budget will be sufficient."

"What do you need so many computers for?" Vice Principal Guo asked suspiciously. "Are you going to sell them to a computer mall?"

Zhou Haoran said, "No, a friend of mine is opening an internet cafe, and it's a good opportunity to collect all these used computers. Selling them to a computer mall would not only be unprofitable, but it would also be against my conscience!"

"How can you be so unscrupulous?"

"There are a lot of scammers in computer malls. They refurbish old parts and equipment, assemble them, and sell them as new machines to deceive unsuspecting consumers. Cooperating with computer malls is like aiding and abetting evil."

“That’s true.” Vice Principal Guo nodded solemnly and said thoughtfully, “The price should be reasonable. You’re so rich, so don’t take advantage of the school.”

Zhou Haoran was slightly taken aback. "How did I become rich?"

Vice Principal Guo said coldly, "The school's order for 1000 computers went to Dongfang Lang, a purchase amount of over 1000 million! You must have made a lot of money from such a large order, right?"

Zhou Haoran said calmly, "Principal Guo, that's Dongfang Lang's business, it has nothing to do with me."

"Really?" Vice Principal Guo chuckled.

Zhou Haoran cleared his throat and said, "Principal, then it's settled. I'll have Dongfang Lang come to you later and buy these outdated machines from the school."

Vice Principal Guo hummed in agreement. "By the way, what's this about the email address that General Manager Du mentioned earlier?"

"Let me help you."

Zhou Haoran might help Lao Zhang for free, but he won't help Microsoft for free.

Vice Principal Guo found it strange, "Isn't Microsoft number one in the world? They can't even develop email?"

"I find it strange too. Even if Microsoft is not good at internet products, it shouldn't be that they can't even make an email."

"Could there be a conspiracy?"

“What kind of conspiracy could there be?” Zhou Haoran chuckled. “In the market, everyone is after profits… I’ll go to the academy and ask around to find out the truth.”

I returned to the Computer Science Department.

Zhou Haoran is a big celebrity now, and he can freely go to the offices of the dean and vice dean.

He found an associate professor named Wuwei.

He recently applied for an on-campus program.

It's an email address.

However, it's not a public email address; it's an internal school email address. Faculty and students can send emails to each other through the school's campus network.

Zhou Haoran talked with Professor Wu for two hours.

I've gained some understanding of email as a product in this day and age.

This is really not simple!
Currently, there are many email products available worldwide. The two best-performing email services are Yahoo Mail and Hotmail.

Microsoft Mail is terrible.

The reason it doesn't work is less a technical issue and more a matter of choice.

It was less a choice and more a matter of luck.

The internet industry is in its early stages of development. What should the internet look like in the future?
neither knows!
This results in hundreds or even thousands of different schools of thought, some correct and some incorrect.

It's like there are 1000 roads ahead.

Only 2-3 paths are correct.

How to choose?
Choosing the wrong path will significantly diminish the product's effectiveness. Even with Microsoft's technological prowess, taking the wrong turn won't cut it.

If you choose the right one, it becomes the globally popular Yahoo Mail.

That really depends on luck.

Zhou Haoran is different.

He doesn't need to rely on luck.

He knows what the future internet will look like, and he knows which path is the right one.

It would be so easy for him to develop an email service.

The difficulty with this kind of product isn't in its development; the code is far too easy.

The difficulty lies in choosing the route.

Zhou Haoran found a few college students, he determined the direction and created the framework, and it was easy to make it.

It all depends on how much sincerity Microsoft can offer.

"Dr. Zhou, school is about to start, and we need to plan an international programming competition. Would you like to be a coach?"

Professor Wu suddenly asked a question.

Zhou Haoran said helplessly, "The academy wants me to mentor them, but I'm not good at that."

Professor Wu said awkwardly, "Last year, I was the coach of our school, and the team was completely wiped out. We couldn't even participate in the national competition."

Zhou Haoran said, "Then I'm even less capable. I'll tell the academy, and you can do it instead."

"How about..." Professor Wu knew that his level was not as good as this young Dr. Zhou, "How about you be the head coach and I will be your assistant coach?"

"How does this work?"

Zhou Haoran was a little embarrassed.

Professor Wu said, "I didn't want to participate in the first place. If you become the coach, I'll be your assistant. If you don't participate, then I'll withdraw. The programming competition isn't about programming itself, but about programming within a specified time and under specified conditions, which is quite different from technology development."

Zhou Haoran nodded. "I can't decide this either. I'll just have to follow the leader's instructions. If I'm asked to go, then I'll definitely go."

Professor Wu seemed quite relaxed, smiling as he said, "Actually, there's not much pressure. Our school's programming team has never achieved good results. Participating is a good opportunity, as it's also a chance to learn and exchange ideas with other schools."

"Okay, if the academy sends me, we'll go together!"

"A word is settled!"

(End of this chapter)