256 colors in a 320200 environment—barely enough.
Lin Lixin looked at the demo image on the screen. Although the resolution was greatly reduced, the color depth was a whole order of magnitude richer.
Most importantly, this card supports dual modes, compatible with both high resolution and low color modes, as well as low resolution and high color modes.
"The OpenGL graphics library isn't finished yet, but it won't be long."
Vivian shut down the PC and removed the card, which was currently completely unusable.
She was amazed when OpenGL was mentioned.
Sometimes you really have to admire how many geniuses there are in this world.
"I'm saying—is Carmack really a delinquent you rescued from juvenile detention?"
John Carmack's mastery of programming was so great that the entire Micro-Nova team was envious.
It's hard to imagine that this is a child who isn't even 20 years old.
But what's most terrifying is this guy's potential for growth.
When Lin Lixin first sent him to MicroNova, he was always resentful, complaining that he wanted to go back to headquarters and play games with Lin Lixin as soon as possible.
They even claimed that they had been exiled, completely disregarding whether their words offended anyone.
But what was the result?
After a brief glimpse into the new project, this guy absorbed the computer graphics he hadn't yet mastered like a sponge.
He is now the undisputed leader of the OpenGL project.
The entire team from SGI was trained like servants, obediently following his instructions to learn.
"Yes, he's my beloved and capable assistant."
"He almost made the SGI people cry with their scolding----"
Carmack presented a completely different face in front of Lin Lixin than in front of them.
Lin Lixin laughed heartily.
"Tell him to do a good job, and tell him there's a big job waiting for him when he gets back."
John Carmack's legendary status in later generations wasn't due to being elevated to that position, but rather to his extraordinary technological prowess, which allowed him to climb the ladder step by step.
It can be said that he laid the foundation for more than half of the modern video game industry.
At this point, Lin Lixin suddenly remembered Logitech.
"By the way, is Dr. Jim with you?"
After receiving a positive reply from Vivian, Lin Lixin dialed MicroNova's landline number.
" Jim, come to headquarters. I've come up with a plan that might be able to give Sun and his crew a good beating."
Lin Lixin's eyes flickered as he looked at the rudimentary graphics card prototype in Vivian's hand.
If this job goes through, it won't just be Sun; they might even be able to stab IBM in the back.
This absolute kingpin of the PC market in the 80s and 90s would never have guessed what he was secretly plotting.
Third floor, hardware department.
The huge office contained only Gerald, Lin Lixin, and Vivian, who hadn't left yet, all gathered around the workbench.
"Streamlined mold? Oh, I see."
Gerald fiddled with a Logitech C7 in his hand, pondering the feasibility of Lin Lixin's proposed solution.
According to current design standards, or rather, according to the classic design generally recognized by the Volkswagen, the Logitech C7 is very aesthetically pleasing.
Its boxy shape is particularly appealing to geeks; that's the industrial look they're after.
Lin Lixin wanted to make its shape more rounded, adapting it to fit the palm of the hand.
In my opinion, the mouse will definitely become an indispensable peripheral in the future PC field.
Although this thing seems meaningless on the current DOS command-line system, that doesn't mean it won't have a market in the future.
It can be said that the mouse, compared to the keyboard, is closer to the "what you see is what you get" design concept, and plays an important role in promoting PCs to the general public.
Vivian pondered Lin Lixin's words, then suddenly clapped her hands.
"Graphical Operation System----"
This was her initial career vision.
She had almost forgotten about it since joining GAMENOVA.
After all, NovaBo's capabilities were limited, and even DOS would cause unnecessary performance waste, let alone a graphical operating system.
NovaBo has no operating system; it only has a basic BIOS responsible for booting game software.
At this moment, Lin Lixin's mention of the future market for mice suddenly stirred up memories that had been sealed away in Vivian's mind.
She recalled her conversation with Lin Lixin about this matter, and his high regard for graphical systems.
"That's right. I believe that in the future, PCs will not just be professional tools, but ubiquitous digital products that everyone can use. Barriers such as programming, commands, and hardware will no longer exist."
Lin Lixin painted a utopian picture for the two of them that sounded almost fantastical, "Of course, it's also to make our console more versatile in terms of gaming; future shooting games, as well as Will's new work, will all use it."
"I see."
Gerald wasn't concerned with the future; he preferred to focus on the present.
Lin Lixin's design was very interesting to him.
Many designs that couldn't be applied to the NovaBo controller can be validated on this new mouse.
"But what about production? Mice are not like other things; there are only a handful of suitable contract manufacturers in all of California."
While chips can be supplied by established manufacturers like Motorola or Zilog, there are very few manufacturers capable of producing mice, especially those involving optical engines, a relatively new technology.
Lin Lixin gestured with his lip toward the Logitech C7 in Gerald's hand.
"Isn't there an expert here? Logitech is currently seeking a large OEM order to expand, so we only need to handle the design issues."
Logitech?
Gerald frowned slightly. "While NovaBo's shipments are substantial, the demand for mice is probably not that urgent."
After all, they are not PC manufacturers, and in the mouse field, their influence is not necessarily that strong.
"I know." Lin Lixin nodded. "We might not be enough on our own, but I already have a plan."
Just then, Jim appeared at the elevator entrance.
Upon seeing him appear, Lin Lixin waved and said to Vivian, "Let's go see some friends."
Just as he was about to leave, Lin Lixin suddenly remembered that he hadn't told him the most crucial thing yet, so he stopped in his tracks.
" Gerald, let's name this mouse NMD! Nova!"
"Good name."
Redwood City, San Francisco Bay Area, California.
The location for the new headquarters is absolutely perfect; it's practically a feng shui treasure.
It's so good that you can see future industry giants and Legend figures just a few steps from your doorstep.
This place is filled with Silicon Valley elites chasing their dreams, as well as promising companies that struggle to make progress due to a lack of funding.
This time, Lin Lixin was looking for an inventor who had been ousted from Apple.
He came here six months ago and founded his own company, NeXT.
At this time, he was busy lobbying venture capitalists for a hugely expensive project, and was extremely stressed.
Steve Jobs is short of money right now.