Chapter 224 MM
When Wu Qiuya heard that she could use this software to chat with strangers from all over the world, she was surprised: "Isn't that the same as using a computer to send text messages?"
Lin Yuzhen couldn't help but think of the sky-high internet bill she had paid at her uncle Zhu Hanwen's house, and asked with lingering fear, "Will the charges be very expensive?"
Lu Yiming tapped the keyboard lightly and smiled softly: "I told you, I don't like money, and I don't do this to make money. I just want to make friends with users, so this software will be free forever."
"free?"
“And it’s free forever?”
Everyone, including Li Zhengkai, was shocked.
Lin Yuzhen stared at Lu Yiming in disbelief, " How can a profit-seeking profiteer like you be so generous?"
"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean by profiteering? When have I ever been profit-driven? Even though we are familiar with each other, I can still sue you for defamation if you keep talking nonsense like this."
"Hehe, what slander? How dare you say you are not blinded by money!"
Seeing the two of them start talking and laughing again, Wu Qiuya suddenly became anxious and came over to act as a light bulb again: "Student Lu Yiming, you are really amazing. You can create a software independently by yourself. It's amazing."
She was trying to get close to him, but Wu Qiuya's surprise was not fake.
Even in the 21st century, programming technology is definitely a high-end skill that high school students can show off, not to mention that it is the late 1990s .
Lu Yiming scratched his head, but he didn't think there was anything to brag about: "Well, I like playing computer games, so it's reasonable for me to know programming, right?"
Wu Qiuya was confused after hearing this: "Does it make sense? But Li Zhengkai also likes to play computer games, so why can't he program?"
Li Zhengkai hadn't found a suitable topic for a long time. When he heard Wu Qiuya mention his name, he thought he could make an appearance again. However, he ended up hearing Wu Qiuya revealing his past love for playing computer games. His face immediately turned dark.
If you like playing computer games, you must know how to program? What kind of deceptive logic is this!
Seeing that he couldn't get a word in on this topic, Li Zhengkai felt so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.
However, no one cared about his feelings, and everyone's attention was focused on the software demonstrated by Lu Yiming.
What Lu Yiming created was naturally a certain software that became famous in later generations.
At this moment, in the distant country of Israel, there is a software with the same function that has been running for two years.
On November 16, 1996, three Israelis, Weisger, Vardy and Goldfinger, got together to develop a software that enables people to communicate quickly and directly on the Internet.
They named the new software ICQ, which means "ISEEKYOU (I'm looking for you)", and it can be regarded as the originator of IT social networking.
Wu Qiuya stared at the computer screen for a long time but couldn't figure out where to start, so she asked, "Lu Yiming, how do I use this software?"
Lu Yiming pointed at the cute cat head icon on the computer screen and demonstrated to everyone: "Open this software and the login page will pop up. When you open it for the first time, there is a registration button. Click on register and fill in the registration information. After that, the system will automatically assign you a five-digit number. This is your account number. Then fill in the account number in the box above and the password you set in the box below, and you can log in."
Lin Yuzhen also poked her head over: "Why does the system have to assign an account to me? Can't I fill it out myself?"
Lu Yiming shook his head decisively: "No."
Lin Yuzhen was not convinced and asked, "Why?"
Lu Yiming sniffed and said with a smile, "I'd love to."
Are you kidding? How much money does Xiao Ma Ge make every year from selling accounts? This is a gold mine, can you let you fill it yourself?
Want to know more about this beautiful number?
Want to know more about super beautiful numbers?
Then, Lu Yiming instructed the two and said, "I suggest you register one quickly. Now you still need to register a five-digit account. In the future, it may be 50, 60, 70, 80, or 90 digits. When others see it, they will say, oh, you have a five-digit account. It turns out you are a veteran. Excuse me, isn't it wonderful?"
Lin Yuzhen rolled her eyes, obviously not taking it seriously: "You think millions or tens of millions of people will use this broken thing of yours? And it's worth seventy, eighty, or ninety digits? You're dreaming. Computers are so expensive. Where can you find so many rich people who can afford them?"
Wu Qiuya encouraged him, "The avatar of this software is so cute, it will definitely be popular. We must have confidence in Lu Yiming."
Lu Jiajia was concerned about another question: "Lu Yiming, what happens after you successfully log in? What does it look like?"
"I'll show you once, and you'll understand after you watch it."
Nowadays, computers still use dial-up to access the Internet and there are no such things as wireless network cards, so Lu Yiming has no way to log into the software now. He can only find some functional area pictures that he made when designing the software and show them to everyone.
The software designed by Lu Yiming is called minute-mail in English, which means instant mail, abbreviated as MM, and its Chinese name is Meow Meow Chat. Its interface is almost the same as the operating interface of the QQ software in the 2000s - of course, Lu Yiming is also fully capable of making all kinds of cool appearances, such as the QQ 9.5 version, with all kinds of frosted glass effects, gradient perspective effects, etc. - the key is that the current computer configuration cannot support it.
Although Xiao Ma Ge copied everything, he was able to succeed, and it is undeniable that he did have certain advantages.
The advantage is that it is simple and easy to use.
QQ initially made its mark by treating customers like gods, which is why it was able to surpass its predecessor, ICQ, in seconds.
This is still worth learning and drawing lessons from.
As the owner of Crown QQ, Lu Yiming started using QQ in 2000. Over the past two decades, he has experienced various version iterations and is familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of each version.
So now it is easy to copy it. It not only improves the dull black, white and gray color scheme of the original version of QQ, but also cuts off some redundant parts that occurred during the exploration of QQ back then.
The software developed by Lu Yiming is both feature-rich and simple and beautiful.
This is the best design, which saves a lot of failed attempts and directly iterates to the most user-friendly version. The remaining problem is to solve the problem of stable operation of the system.
In the initial stage, the technical difficulty of this chat software was not great, at least Lu Yiming could develop it alone.
Of course, as the number of users increases, the technical difficulty will also increase exponentially, and by then we will have to recruit a technical team to keep an eye on it. But that will be a matter for the future, at least not for now.
In the following time, Lu Yiming was like an enthusiastic product manager, patiently introducing the various functional designs of MM to everyone.
"Here is your avatar frame. You can use dozens of avatars that come with the software, and it also supports custom pictures."
"Next to the avatar frame is your user nickname. You can choose whatever you want to show your personality and preferences."
"Below the user nickname is a personal signature , which can be your motto or your mood at the time, etc."
"Here are your account levels. The longer you log in, the higher your level will be. Level one is one star, level two is two stars, and level three is three stars. After three stars, it will become a moon, representing level four. Level five is one moon and one star, and so on. Level sixteen becomes the sun. Level sixty-four becomes a crown. The highest level I have set is currently two hundred and fifty-six, which is four crowns. It is the only level with four identical icons arranged in a row, so it can be considered a symbol."
"The largest white part in the middle is your friend list. This is also the core function of this software. You must become friends with another MM user to chat anytime and anywhere. I have added Li Quanwang's MM number here."
"Different friends can also be grouped into groups, such as classmates, relatives, and lovers..."
"It's not just one person chatting with another. You can also create a MM group here and pull people from the same circle into the group to chat together. For example, our class can form a class group and pull in everyone with a MM number to chat with everyone in real time. Similarly, the few people who are participating in this exchange activity can also form a group, and so on."
"The bottom ones are the commonly used function areas. The Add Friend button, Create Group Chat button, and Create Group button mentioned earlier are all here. Subsequent functions will also appear here."
The functions of the software are very simple now. After all, it is just a tool for everyone to communicate. Lu Yiming didn't really want to make a lot of money with this software, so Lu Yiming didn't do any of the various diamonds, memberships, shows and the like.
After listening to Lu Yiming's introduction, Lin Yuzhen became more and more excited: "These designs sound very impressive. In the future, as long as I log in to my MM account, I can communicate with others through the Internet anytime and anywhere?"
Lu Yiming nodded slightly and said, "Well, as long as the other party is also online and willing to pay attention to you, it's like this."
As a young person, Lin Yuzhen is very receptive to new things. She immediately raised her hand and shouted, "I want to register an account!"
“I want one too!”
"I want it, too."
Several girls started shouting, not wanting to be left behind.
Lu Yiming could only smile and comfort them: "Well, when we get to Hong Kong, I'll find a place to connect to the Internet, and then I'll teach you how to register. After registration, we can add each other as friends, and then we can contact each other through this software."
Li Zhengkai, who was sitting in the corner, saw all the girls chattering around Lu Yiming, and heard that Lu Yiming had developed such an awesome software, which made him excited. After a struggle between his conscience and his desires, he couldn't help but say, "I want to register an account, too."
He thought, if he added Wu Qiuya's MM number, wouldn't he be able to chat with Wu Qiuya at home? He was a little excited just thinking about it!
Lu Yiming readily agreed: "Well, I will help you register when we get to Hong Kong."
Although Li Zhengkai always finds fault with him and likes to argue with him, Lu Yiming has lived two lives and his mind is already in his thirties or forties. Naturally, he would not get angry with a young man like him who is only sixteen or seventeen years old.
Not to mention that after testing for a period of time, MM will be officially released and external promotion will begin. Lu Yiming will be happy to find a few more people to help him test it for free and find bugs.
The car drove into Causeway Bay, startling a few water birds flying over the lake, and stopped next to Victoria Park.
Zhu Hanwen clapped his hands and called everyone, "We have arrived at our destination. Everyone, please maintain order and do not run around after getting off the bus, especially you, Lu Yiming."
After being called by Zhu Hanwen, Lu Yiming stood up lazily and replied weakly: "Yes, yes, I know."
The other students got off the bus and looked at the people and cars coming and going around them and the tall buildings standing in the distance. Suddenly, there was a strange look in their eyes.
“This is Xiangjiang.”
“It’s really prosperous.”
“There are so many people.”
“It seems that even the air is sweet.”
"It would be nice to live in a place like this."
There are many tourists chatting and strolling around, even foreigners. The atmosphere of an international metropolis is overwhelming. Everything is full of novelty, and the pictures are vivid and powerful, much more powerful than reading in newspapers or hearsay.
Because the customs clearance procedures are complicated, Zhu Hanwen himself has only been there a few times, even though it is very close. He pointed to the distance and said to everyone: "Students, look here, look here, follow me."
Everyone looked in the direction of Zhu Hanwen's finger and saw an old Victorian-style building in the distance, with a full sense of history.
Lin Yuzhen curled her lips, her tone puzzled and a little surprised: "Is this Huangren College? It doesn't look that good, it feels so shabby."
Huangren College was first founded in 1862. Not only has its name been changed several times, but the original school building was destroyed in the war. It was not rebuilt until after the end of World War II. Naturally, it is not as "novel" as Baiyun No. 1 Middle School, which was established less than ten years ago.
However, the schools are not competing to see who has a better living environment.
Lu Yiming looked at the school emblem of Huangren Academy from afar, and saw three large characters "Diligence Pays Off" written on the red shield-shaped emblem.
He turned around and smiled at Lin Yuzhen, "Don't underestimate this school. Hong Kong is one of the earliest cities to open ports. Power from the West has gathered here. Frequent commercial and cultural exchanges have prompted an urgent need for professionals who are proficient in both Chinese and English. Huangren College was born out of this."
Seeing Lu Yiming easily recounting the history of Huangren College, Lu Jiajia couldn't help but look in amazement: "Lu Yiming, you know so much, you even know this."
Wu Qiuya seemed to be quite interested in this kind of thing, and urged him excitedly: "What happened next? What happened next?"
Li Zhengkai, who was standing next to him, almost cried when he saw Lu Yiming chatting with the girl again.
If I had known earlier, I should have asked my cousin to help collect information about Huangren College before coming here, and then memorized it. Wouldn't I be the one in the limelight now?
This wave is really a blood loss!
Lu Yiming then continued to introduce, "In the teaching here, Chinese subjects are taught through the traditional Four Books and Five Classics, while English is mainly taught through translation, as well as Western literature and history, and also includes some scientific subjects from Western powers. In terms of the social environment at the time, this knowledge was still very advanced for us and could open our eyes to the world."
Lin Yuzhen always felt that Lu Yiming's tone of voice was a bit strange, so she asked in confusion: "What about now? Isn't it not advanced now?"
