pertwk Chapter 60 Operating System R&D Department
Chapter 60 Operating System R&D Department
Los Angeles, IceCloud Investment Company Office.
The once somewhat empty office floor has now been effectively divided into two distinct areas. One side is the "performance mecca" where the Alienware team resides, with exposed chassis, flashing indicator lights, and intense technical discussions as its main themes. On the other side, a newly created area of absolute quiet, even with a touch of academic atmosphere, has emerged—the operating system R&D department.
The thick carpet absorbed most of the footsteps. Thirty brand-new desks were neatly arranged, each equipped with the most advanced development machines available at the time. Several huge whiteboards hung on the white walls, covered with complex algorithm flowcharts, data structure definitions, and module interface drafts. These were the results of Lingyun's week of closed-door development—the preliminary architecture of the "StarOS" system.
Thirty newly recruited programmers are now in place. Among them are top students who have just graduated from Berkeley and Stanford, their eyes filled with the sharpness of inexperience and a thirst for knowledge; and senior engineers who have jumped ship from other software companies, their brows showing a desire for challenges and curiosity about the young boss's grand plans.
In 1996, before the internet bubble inflated to the point of distorting the talent market, it wasn't too difficult to recruit this group of elite talents, thanks to the competitive salaries offered by Lingyun and the highly attractive project vision of "developing a modern operating system from scratch".
Ling Yun stood at the front of the department, like a commander about to lead his team to a major challenge. He didn't give a lengthy pep talk, but instead directly distributed the printed, hundreds-of-pages-thick "Star System Architecture Design Draft" to everyone.
"This is our goal for the foreseeable future." Ling Yun's voice was clear and calm, echoing in the quiet office area. "This is not another Unix variant, nor is it a Windows imitator. Its kernel (StarKernel) will integrate advanced features such as O(1) scheduling, kernel preemption, and reverse mapping memory management; its framework layer (Nebula Framework) will introduce efficient anonymous shared memory and a brand-new IPC mechanism called Binder."
He briefly explained a few core concepts, and a murmur of amazement and whispers immediately rose from the audience. These ideas were too advanced, even subverting some of their existing knowledge.
"I know this sounds challenging," Ling Yun said, scanning the crowd. "But that's why we're all gathered here. We'll turn the architecture on paper into working code. It will be a long, tedious, and even painful process, but I ask that you treat every line of code with reverence and strive for perfection in every design detail."
Without further ado, development began immediately. Ling Yun personally served as the project's chief architect and the decision-maker for core technologies. He divided the team into several core groups: the kernel group, the memory management group, the inter-process communication group, the file system group, and the driver framework group.
Day after day, the rhythm in the office became simple and pure.
In the early morning, team members arrived one after another and first held a brief morning meeting to share progress and issues.
During the day, the office is mostly filled with the rapid clatter of keyboards and the occasional hushed discussion about a technical challenge. The air is thick with the scent of caffeine and focused concentration.
Ling Yun moved between the various teams. He could often point out potential design flaws or performance bottlenecks with just a few glances at the code. His deep technical insight and broad vision quickly won over these proud and arrogant programmers.
He seemed to already know where the right path was, and their work was more like a large-scale "code filling" operation along the blueprint he had drawn.
Working overtime is the norm at night. The architecture diagrams on the whiteboard are constantly being refined and revised, and the commit history in the code repository is increasing day by day. Sometimes, to solve a tricky concurrency bug, core members will gather together to discuss it until late at night.
Time slipped away quietly as the number of lines of code increased. Outside the window, the Los Angeles sky gradually shifted from the deep blue of midsummer to the clarity of early autumn. Under Ling Yun's almost demanding push, the "Star System" project made steady but difficult progress, gradually taking on its initial life pulse from a vague concept.
Until one afternoon in September.
Lingyun was discussing a detail about reference counting synchronization in the Binder driver with members of the kernel team when his Motorola phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang, breaking the tranquility of the office area.
He frowned slightly, intending to hang up immediately, but then glanced at the caller ID—it was an overseas call from Xinghuo Electronics Factory in Jinan, China.
He gestured for the meeting to pause, then took his phone and walked into the quiet corridor.
"Hello, this is Ling Yun."
"President Ling! That's great, we've finally gotten in touch with you!" came the familiar yet urgent voice of Factory Manager Ma Baoguo from the other end of the phone, with some background noise.
"Director Ma, what is it?" Ling Yun asked in a deep voice.
"Mr. Ling, there's an urgent matter that requires your decision!" Ma Baoguo spoke quickly. "Several Hong Kong businessmen have arrived. They found us through a link we posted in the *Computer Weekly*. They were very satisfied with our 'Spark' brand mouse and keyboard samples! They immediately placed an initial order for 50,000 sets of mice and 50,000 sets of keyboards! They said they want to distribute them through channels in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia!"
50,000 mice and 50,000 keyboards! Even based on Xinghuo Electronics' mid-range pricing strategy, this is a huge order worth several million RMB! For Xinghuo Electronics, which is just starting out and is working hard to open up the market, this is undoubtedly a timely help and a strong boost.
"That's good news, Director Ma." Ling Yun's tone was calm, without showing much surprise. "What about their quote and payment terms?"
"The quote meets our expectations, and is even slightly higher than the price we give to our domestic agent, since it includes export tax rebates. They agreed to a 30% prepayment, with the balance due upon arrival at the port," Ma Baoguo reported. Then, his tone shifted, becoming troubled. "However, Mr. Ling, their requirements are very high! Their demands for packaging, labeling, and quality consistency are extremely strict, exceeding our current standards. Furthermore, they hope to begin deliveries in batches next month. This order is too large, involving raw material procurement, production line expansion, quality control upgrades… many decisions… I… I don't dare make the final decision! The person in charge has also clearly stated that they want to discuss the details in person with the boss who can make the final decisions."
Ling Yun understood instantly. This wasn't just a simple contract signing and shipment; behind this order lay a comprehensive test of Xinghuo Electronics Factory's production capacity, management level, and reputation. Although Ma Baoguo was experienced, he was indeed overwhelmed by such a large-scale export order and international business negotiations.
He paused for a moment, his gaze drifting through the corridor window to the land outside, where future technology was taking root. The development of the operating system was at a critical stage, and he had planned to keep a close eye on it for a while longer.
However, Spark Electronics is one of its foundations, its most important source of cash flow, and the starting point for hardware manufacturing. This Hong Kong order not only means huge profits, but also a strategic opportunity for the "Spark" brand to go global and gain a foothold in a wider market. It cannot afford to fail.
"Reply to them," Ling Yun made a decision, his voice steady and powerful, "I will return to China as soon as possible and negotiate with them personally. Tell them to wait for me in Jinan."
"That's great! President Ling! With you back to take charge, I can rest assured!" Ma Baoguo's voice suddenly became full of confidence.
After hanging up the phone, Ling Yun stood there and took a deep breath.
On one hand, there is the development of operating systems for the future, the creation from scratch in the world of code; on the other hand, there are the manufacturing orders that urgently need to be secured, the expansion of real money in the real economy.
He turned and walked back to the operating system R&D department, clapped his hands, and attracted everyone's attention.
"Gentlemen," his voice regained its usual calm, "there is an urgent business matter in China that I need to handle personally, and I must return to China immediately for a period of time."
He noticed the surprise and a hint of unease on the faces of some team members.
"The project will not stop." Ling Yun's tone was resolute. "I have already given the team leaders a detailed overview of the development milestones, contingency plans for technical challenges, and code review permissions for the next month. All development plans will proceed as usual, and daily progress reports will continue to be sent to my email as normal. For any major technical decisions, we will communicate via overseas phone at any time."
He looked around at the group of engineers he had personally selected, who were dedicated to building "Stars".
"While I'm gone, I'll leave this place to you. Remember our goals, and maintain the current pace and passion."
Without much farewell or sentimentality, Ling Yun quickly finished handing over her work and returned to her office to begin arranging her return trip.