Since we've switched to Hollywood mode, we can't just crank out a movie every two or three months. If we did, who would still want to invest?
Although Lawrence Kasdan's fees were high, they were still acceptable. As for Kasdan's personal thoughts, he was thrilled with the movie. To him, it represented what a Western should be.
Lawrence Kasdan was well-versed in this history, so William White let him be the producer. William White didn't understand the laws and customs of that era like Kasdan did, so he passed that responsibility off.
...
Atari was now a thing of the past, replaced by the White family emblem. After divesting from the gaming console business, not many staff were left.
William White, with his enormous wealth, didn't bother with gradual steps. There were more than two hundred programmers for software alone, and with the so-called learning machine, over five hundred programmers in total, which was indeed astonishing.
You must know, Apple and Microsoft didn't have so many programmers. The famous Windows 1.0 operating system was just the work of a few dozen people. Similarly, the iOS system had a comparable number.
It's not that these two companies were misers reluctant to hire more. It was just that talent like this was hard to come by. Anyone with skills wouldn't endure working for others if they could create something independently.
While William White's other ventures might lack significant takeaways, his success in office software drove everyone mad.
Of course, competing with White Systems now might not be wise. However, there were still many software needs on the PC side, so no need to hang on a single tree.
Not to mention, that Monopoly game just made people mad with envy.
It was just a trial version, yet it sold hundreds of thousands of copies. If he released the official version, it would sell even more.
The popularity of Monopoly did boost PC sales; many folks who didn't need them started buying computers, and the first thing they'd ask was if it could run Monopoly.
Big Blue was quite unhappy -- with them having mocked Apple as a gaming console before. Suddenly, they seemed to have become a gaming console too. And the worst part was, these buyers were extremely sensitive to prices, all opting for Compaq and other compatible machines.
As for their claims of stability, users didn't care. Just rebooting the system resolved any issues, not a big deal.
Watching the screen display, William White was a bit conflicted.
Dang, how does this thing look so much like Windows 1.0? Maybe the guy should make a portable version?
Haha, guess Bill Gates would go nuts.
It's not unfounded for Bill Gates to be wary of him. With his resources now, Windows 1.0 could certainly be trampled to pieces by him.
Alas, it was just a thought. Firstly, Big Blue wouldn't grant him licensing, and secondly, the Justice Department wouldn't take it lightly.
Such is the plight of large corporations; in this era of change, they're bound by the Justice Department. HP and Big Blue's programming abilities far surpassed White Systems. If William White could easily tackle such things, they wouldn't face any problem either.
Guess Xerox was the same. This guy had a graphical interface now and even routers, but their company was too big, resorting to less drastic moves.
"Tom, just handle the system like this, finetune the details, and add some educational games."
"Sure, sir."
"I still think this style resembles iOS a bit. Have the designers check if we can make these icons more cartoonish."
"That's no problem at all, sir. Why don't we just roll out a PC system?"
"Hmph, when you become head of the Justice Department, I'll roast Apple and Microsoft together."
"Oh, I see, no wonder I didn't hear anything from you."
"Che, it's not just me keeping quiet. Did you really think IBM can't do it? Just watch; if I step into this arena, they'd surely jump in, no hesitation."
"Got it, just seems like a missed chance."
"Haha, let's leave it be. I don't want to help IBM."
...
In fact, he was spot-on. IBM was having a clearance sale. Intel and other related sectors were all being unloaded.
Andy Grove was troubled. You Big Blue folks really tick everyone off. We just decided to withdraw from dynamic memory, and you cleared out stocks. Were you trying to pull a fast one on us?
But this time, he had no reason to blame them. Intel's stock price was stagnant, hardly the best time to sell, yet sell they must.
Indeed, the Justice Department had moved in on IBM. Forget launching new products, they had to clean up affiliated companies, or face the risk of being split up quick.
Companies like IBM were no longer conventional. Their management style probably resembled officials more closely.
With different perspectives come different problems and different stances. This so-called antitrust bugged William White to no end, yet on the flip side, it opened opportunities for many.
William White's development had entered the second phase. Before Big Blue and the Justice Department reached an agreement, he had to straighten out his issues.
Otherwise, he'd be their next target.
In reality, some folks couldn't wait for that to happen. It's their favorite script, and their way of cashing in.
The progress on the PDA was promising, while the learning machine lagged a bit. Without suitable output ports, it resembled more of a laptop.
Just, this thing was so plain wasn't it?
"Tom, the LCD needs work. This current one won't do. And this sound, it must be improved too."
"Okay, sir, we've already got a plan for the sound. The LCD part is tricky."
"Alright, take it slow. If it's too hard, you can check with Bell Labs. They might have a solution."
*****
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