thebusnovel Chapter 68 The Wall and the Rockery
Chapter 68 The Wall and the Rockery
The aroma of coffee still lingered. After the almost brutal analysis of the antitrust lawsuit, Jim Clark fell into a brief silence, his face a mixture of embarrassment at being seen through and helplessness in the face of despair. The coffee in front of him had gone cold, but he had no appetite for it.
Ling Yun didn't press his advantage on the "lawsuit is useless" argument. He knew that merely shattering old illusions wasn't enough; a new, viable direction had to be presented. His gaze fell on the sun-drenched swimming pool in the club's courtyard, then suddenly shifted, pointing out the window:
"Mr. Clark, look at that swimming pool."
Clark followed his gaze, somewhat puzzled. It was a beautifully designed infinity pool, but on one side, it bordered a relatively quiet neighborhood road. While the privacy was adequate, the pool's interior was still completely visible to pedestrians or vehicles passing by.
"It's a beautiful swimming pool, isn't it?" Ling Yun said casually. "But it has a small problem—it's right next to the road, lacking sufficient privacy. If you were the owner of this house, what would you do to solve this problem?"
Although Clark's mind was still on Netscape's predicament, he subconsciously replied, "The most direct solution, of course, is to build a high enough wall to completely block the view of passersby."
"A good idea." Ling Yun nodded, then posed a question, "But what if I told you that the homeowners' association in this community has strict regulations prohibiting the construction of any form of physical wall to maintain the community's visual openness and unified style? What would you do?"
Clark frowned. As someone accustomed to solving problems directly, he felt an instinctive aversion to such restrictions: "Not allowed? That's ridiculous! This is my property!"
"Rules are rules, Mr. Clark," Ling Yun said calmly, as if stating an objective fact. "Just like Microsoft's monopoly on operating systems by bundling browsers, which may seem 'absurd' and 'unfair' to you, these are the current 'rules' of the market. At least in the foreseeable future, we cannot change this underlying rule set by Microsoft—it does not allow you to build 'walls' that block its view on its 'territory'."
He paused, observing Clark's reaction, then slowly guided the conversation: "Since we can't build a 'wall,' what is our purpose? It's to 'block others' view,' to protect privacy, right?"
"Of course." Clark seemed to have caught a glimmer of inspiration.
"Then," Ling Yun leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying an inspiring quality, "since we can't build a wall, why not build an artificial hill, or a dense bamboo forest?"
He gestured in the air with his hand, saying, "A beautifully shaped artificial hill surrounded by greenery, or a dense landscaped wall. They can both achieve the effect of blocking the view and meet your core need for privacy. Community regulations don't allow 'walls,' but can they prevent you from 'landscape'? Your goal is to block the view; is there a fundamental difference between using a 'wall' or an 'artificial hill' to achieve that goal?"
"!!!"
Clark's pupils contracted sharply, as if a powerful lightning bolt had cleaved through the fog of anxiety and anger that had formed in his mind!
He instantly understood the essence of Lingyun's metaphor!
Microsoft's bundling of Internet Explorer and its staunch defense of the operating system gateway, much like the "no wall" rule in a community forum, is a harsh reality that cannot be changed. Netscape has been trying to "build a wall"—either by technically defeating IE head-on and proving its wall is stronger, or by using legal action to force Microsoft to remove the bundling and change the community rules. In Lingyun's view, both paths are extremely difficult and have little hope.
Lingyun's idea of "building an artificial mountain" is a wise path that bypasses the rules and goes straight to the core purpose!
"You mean..." Clark's voice was hoarse with excitement, "We shouldn't keep obsessing over the doomed unfair battle with IE on Microsoft's desktop? We should... build our own 'artificial mountain'? A new entry point that bypasses the Windows desktop and directly reaches the user?"
"Exactly!" Ling Yun nodded firmly, his eyes sharp. "Microsoft is bundling IE to block the 'main artery' entrance to the internet. They won't give up this entrance, just like a community won't allow you to build a firewall—that fact can't be changed in the short term. So why can't Netscape leverage its huge brand advantage and technological accumulation from the early days of the internet to carve out its own new 'highway'?"
He began to sketch out the blueprint for this "artificial mountain":
"Instead of watching IE gradually erode your browser client's market share through system bundling, why not shift your strategic focus from 'defense' to offense?"
Ling Yun's thoughts became clearer as he spoke, and his speaking speed increased slightly:
"Directly attack Microsoft's core business—the operating system. Does it matter which system users access Netscape Navigator from?"
Clark was utterly stunned. He stared blankly at Ling Yun, his mind racing as he processed this highly disruptive strategic shift suggestion.
This approach led Netscape from a positional defense battle destined to be arduous and with little chance of victory to a broader and more imaginative new battlefield.
"Defense... offense..." Clark muttered to himself, the extinguished light in his eyes rekindled, a feeling of excitement and exhilaration at seeing a new course.
Seeing his expression, Ling Yun knew the seed had been planted. He added, "Mr. Clark, the most skillful competition isn't about defeating your opponent under their rules, but about changing the dimension of competition so that your own advantages become the key to victory. By collaborating with our 'Starry Sky Operating System,' we can avoid being bound by Microsoft's rules."
After saying that, Lingyun picked up the completely cold coffee and symbolically took a sip.