parentshiftbook Chapter 272 Welcome to Spark Technology
Chapter 272 Welcome to Spark Technology
"I would like to invite you all to join Spark Technology." Ling Yun walked back to his seat and sat down. "Not in the form of project cooperation, but as a whole. The intellectual property rights, code, documents, and team of the Huaxia System will all be merged into Spark Technology. You will become the core team of the Star System China R&D Center."
"Then... what about the Institute of Computing Technology..." Wang Jianguo's voice was hoarse.
"I will discuss technology transfer and personnel transfer with the Institute of Computing Technology," Ling Yun said. "A reasonable transfer fee and compliant procedures. Your personnel records can remain with the Institute of Computing Technology, but you will actually work at Spark Technology and enjoy Spark Technology's salary and R&D conditions."
"How much is the salary?" a young engineer couldn't help but ask.
"We'll double your current scale," Lingyun said, "and there will be project bonuses and stock options. The office will be in this building, and I'll dedicate one floor to the R&D center. The hardware—the latest PCs, servers, and testing machines—will all be provided."
The phrase "double" echoed in the meeting room.
Wang Jianguo looked at his team members, whose faces showed shock, expectation, doubt, and barely concealed excitement.
"What do we need to do?" Wang Jianguo asked.
"Three things." Ling Yun held up three fingers. "First, develop a deeply optimized Chinese version based on the existing code of the Star System. This is not just a translation, but a comprehensive adaptation from font rendering to input methods to localized applications."
"Second, we will establish a hardware adaptation lab. We will collaborate with domestic and international PC manufacturers to develop official drivers for the Starry Sky system. We will start with major manufacturers such as Hasee and Founder, and gradually cover mainstream hardware."
"Third," he paused, "we need to cultivate talent. The Starry Sky System is open source, and we need to establish a developer community in China to cultivate a group of young engineers who understand open source and the system. You must take on the responsibility of technology evangelism and talent development."
The task is clear, and the goal is well-defined.
Wang Jianguo looked down at his hands. Years of typing had deformed his knuckles, and his nails were trimmed very short. He clenched his fist, then relaxed it.
"Mr. Ling," he looked up, "I have a question."
"Speaking."
"What is the ultimate goal of the Starry Sky System?" Wang Jianguo's gaze sharpened. "Is it to create a Chinese version of the Linux distribution? Or is it to compete head-on with Windows?"
"None of those," Ling Yun said. "What I want to do is build an independent, controllable, and global operating system ecosystem. The Chinese version is just the first step. In the future, the Star System will run on PCs, servers, and mobile devices, becoming a basic software platform controlled by the Chinese themselves."
"Mobile device?"
"Mobile phones, tablets, and embedded devices," Ling Yun said. "The future belongs to the mobile internet, and operating systems must be planned in advance."
Wang Jianguo remained silent. He took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with the corner of his shirt, and then put them back on.
"I need to discuss this with the team," he said.
"Of course." Ling Yun stood up. "There's a tea room and a small meeting room on this floor; you can use them. Old Ni and I will wait outside."
He gestured to Ni Guangnan, and the two walked out of the conference room.
The door closed gently behind me.
In the corridor, Ni Guangnan took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled one out, and offered it to Ling Yun. Ling Yun waved his hand. Ni Guangnan lit it himself and took a deep drag.
"Do you think they will agree?" Ni Guangnan asked.
"Yes," Ling Yun said, looking out the window, "because they have no better choice."
"I'll handle the negotiations with the Institute of Computing Technology," Ni Guangnan said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "How much do you think is appropriate for the technology transfer fee?"
"Anything under one million RMB is acceptable," Ling Yun said. "The key is that all personnel must come; not a single one can be missing."
"That old Li is fifty-four years old, almost at retirement age."
"Age is not a problem," Ling Yun said. "Experience is invaluable, especially now that there is a severe shortage of relevant talent in China. Being older and lacking energy are not problems. Even training new people is an option."
The faint sounds of arguing could be heard from the meeting room, but the content was unclear. Someone spoke loudly, then suddenly lowered their voice.
Twenty minutes later, the door opened. Wang Jianguo came out with a complicated expression on his face.
"Mr. Ling," he said, "we've reached an agreement."
Ling Yun and Ni Guangnan walked back to the conference room, and Wang Jianguo walked to the middle.
"We agree to join," he said, his voice steady, "but on a few conditions."
"Speaking."
"First, the name of the Huaxia system must be retained. It can be called 'Starry Sky - Huaxia Version,' but the word 'Huaxia' must remain."
"Can."
"Secondly, the team must be retained intact, without being split up or broken up. We need independent R&D space and management autonomy."
"Okay. You will establish the 'Starry Sky System China R&D Center,' with Professor Wang as the director, reporting directly to me."
"Third," Wang Jianguo took a deep breath, "we have the right to participate in setting the direction of research and development. We can't just follow orders; we need to have a voice in the technology."
"That's exactly what I need." Ling Yun nodded. "I hope you're not just executors, but also co-designers. We're a private company, so we can be flexible about many things."
Wang Jianguo's shoulders slumped slightly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He looked back at his team members, whose faces showed smiles—some shy, some relieved, but all genuine.
"Well then," Ling Yun extended his hand, "welcome to Spark Technology."
They shook hands. This time, Wang Jianguo's grip was lighter, but the handshake lasted longer.
"What's next?" Wang Jianguo asked.
"This afternoon, I'll have the administration staff help you with your onboarding procedures and assign you office spaces. Starting tomorrow, you'll familiarize yourselves with the Starry Sky system's code and documentation," Ling Yun said. "I want to see a detailed Chinese version development plan in a week."
"The code and documentation..." Wang Jianguo hesitated for a moment, "Can we look at them now?"
Ling Yun smiled. He walked to the computer in the conference room—a PC manufactured by Spark Technology, running the Starry Sky System. He logged in and opened the code repository.
The screen was filled with densely packed English directories and documents. Wang Jianguo leaned closer, his glasses almost touching the screen.
"This is the kernel module...this is the driver framework...this is the graphics service layer..." he muttered to himself, his fingers sliding across the touchpad, opening one file after another.
The code scrolls across the screen. The comments are clear, the architecture is well-organized, and the style is consistent.
"This code... is really well written." Old Li also came over, his eyes shining. "Look at the design of this memory management module, it's much more elegant than ours."
"And this network protocol stack optimization..."
"Graphics rendering engine..."
The team members all crowded around, staring at the screen like hungry people seeing food. Some took out notebooks to take notes, while others discussed the technical details in hushed tones.
Ling Yun stepped back, giving them space. Ni Guangnan walked to his side.
"These people have been holding back for too long," Ni Guangnan said in a low voice. "Their eyes light up when they see good technology."
"That's why we need to keep them here," Ling Yun said.
Wang Jianguo suddenly turned his head: "President Ling, could you explain the design logic behind this asynchronous I/O mechanism?"
"Of course." Ling Yun walked back.
The technical discussion lasted an hour. From the kernel to drivers, from graphics to networking, questions came one after another. Ling Yun answered as thoroughly as possible, using diagrams to explain complex points. The team members listened attentively, nodding and asking follow-up questions from time to time.