American History 1988
Chapter 253 - 246 He Threatened Me

Chapter 253: Chapter 246 He Threatened Me

"Wow," reminded by her, Dean suddenly remembered he had an insider right beside him.

"So, why has the master of the White House summoned so many from Silicon Valley this time?

This is really odd, I didn’t expect that our Mr. President even knew there was a place called Silicon Valley."

Dean’s sarcastic complaint made Miranda smile knowingly.

"He’s inviting you, of course, to consult you on the things Silicon Valley excels at."

"How so?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"The Information Highway Project, and the High-Performance Computing Act."

"OK, I get it now," Dean nodded in realization, if that’s the case, it made sense.

This time Dean flew to the East Coast, not entirely for business matters, the invitation from Washington was also one of the reasons.

And he was not the only one invited, many well-known figures from Silicon Valley had received invitations, including Seattle’s Gates.

Dean had heard about the Information Highway Project and the High-Performance Computing Act.

The former was a plan to build the fastest data transmission lines for the public sector, all laid using fiber-optic cables.

It would replace the current status of using telephone lines as the medium for internet connection, and the initiative was first proposed by Tennessee Senator Gore.

According to his vision, these fiber-optic cables would turn home televisions into interactive terminals.

Fiber optics would bring information and entertainment activities into America’s households in colorfully diverse forms, replacing the current monotone BBS bulletin boards.

Gore first introduced this concept last year, then officially applied for a 1.75 billion US Dollar budget from the federal government this year to support his vision.

The High-Performance Computing Act aimed to urge Congress to increase investment in computer science to maintain America’s technological edge in future tech trends.

It involved all aspects of computers and networking, including a series of potential government tenders and business contracts.

From the fields they involved, Silicon Valley was indeed closely related to them.

So, no one declined the invitation from Washington, and they expressed they would attend this so-called hearing.

Of course, the most important thing was that there was business to be had, don’t forget whether it was the highway project or the High-Performance Computing Act.

They could both potentially turn into a series of contracts, then be divided between Silicon Valley and Boston.

However, what surprised Dean was that old George actually thought of Silicon Valley, as before, the relationship between the two wasn’t very good.

Moreover, the ones who proposed the plan and act were from the Democratic Party, which was somewhat abnormal.

Gore was actively promoting his two proposals everywhere, which was understandable.

After all, next year was an election year, it was impossible for him to have no ideas.

Gore had run for president once back in ’88, although with limited influence.

This time, for the ’92 elections, he specifically sought a new path by zeroing in on the topic of computers and the internet.

Gore believed that strengthening the internet and commercializing it could give the currently declining America a much-needed boost.

His assertions aside for now, what was old George hooting about?

Since when could the Republican Party and Democratic Party work together hand in hand? Dean posed his own doubt to Miranda.

"You know," Miranda glanced towards the White House, "our Mr. President isn’t so confident about his re-election."

"Why?" Dean asked subconsciously.

Currently, most of the media were generally optimistic about old George, after all, his halo from the previous Gulf action was even enough to deter many of his opponents.

"Because the Republican Party isn’t that united internally, plus the economic downturn, he needs more attention and support."

Gore’s two proposed acts were beneficial to the public and Silicon Valley; old George was hoping to finalize them during his term to win public favor and support from Silicon Valley.

Especially after the "Silicon Valley shock" caused by Byte Company’s IPO, it was the first time Washington realized the tremendous potential Silicon Valley had in driving economic activity.

So, this hearing, Dean was indirectly one of the factors that prompted its organization.

"Alright, I might have to stay here a bit longer this time." Besides Washington, Dean had other matters to handle.

...

At the end of September, the hearings were held as scheduled.

Dean also met many old friends there, like Seattle’s Gates.

"Hey, Gates, how have you been?" Dean greeted him warmly.

"Uh...Um~, very well," Gates’s gaze was somewhat evasive.

He hesitated a long time before shaking the hand extended by Dean.

"What’s the matter? You seem to be a bit uncomfortable," Dean said with a concerned look.

This guy looks so dejected, totally different from the one who was just chatting away.

"I’m fine, it’s just that I have some matters to take care of first."

Thief! Murderer! An Irishman who’ll never taste potatoes! Facing Dean’s smiling visage, Gates cursed in his heart.

"That urgent? I wanted to talk to you about remote communication software, I heard you guys are also interested in this contract?"

Gates was startled, then a flash of anger appeared in his eyes, which he quickly suppressed.

"Maybe you heard wrong, Microsoft isn’t interested in this contract."

"Really?" Dean gave him an "I don’t believe you" look.

Gates took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Really! I assure you, Microsoft will not participate in the bidding for this project!"

"That’s truly unfortunate," Dean lamented, "We recognize Microsoft’s strength."

"Dean," Gates tried hard to control his emotions, "I have to go now, I have other matters to handle."

"OK, we’ll chat some other time," Dean patted his shoulder intimately.

Gates nodded silently and then hurriedly left the place.

Huh, what’s with this guy? Those rushed steps, could he be bursting to go to the bathroom?

Sigh, so young and already having kidney problems.

And to think that Microsoft actually gave up on bidding for the federal government’s remote communications project.

Dean had originally thought that with the RAS CALL matter settled without incident, Microsoft would leverage the federal government’s contract to re-enter the instant messaging software market.

After all, they had such intentions before and had even taken actions.

Yes, just at the recent meeting. Congress passed a large budget specifically for overhauling the government’s automated office software systems.

But faced with this juicy opportunity, Gates actually gave up? This was truly unexpected for Dean.

Could it be that Microsoft was planning to repair the plank road by day, but cross the Wei River by a secret path at night?

Dean raised an eyebrow, considering Gates’s shamelessness, it was indeed a possibility.

No, he still had to keep an eye on Gates.

On the other side, Gates, who had hurriedly left, couldn’t help but explode into a rage once inside his car.

"F*ck! That Irishman is threatening me!"

"Who?" asked Steve, who had just come in from outside and was unaware of what had happened.

"Dean Price! That damned kid from Ohio!"

"Dean... Dean?" Steve’s neck shrank back, "Bill, how did you get on his bad side?"

"It’s not me who provoked him! It’s him threatening me! He’s suggesting that Microsoft give up on this bidding process!"

Gates thought about it and got angry, as he was the founder of the world’s largest software company, Microsoft.

His grandfather was a banker, his father was a lawyer, his mother worked for IBM, and his net worth was equal to several Deans.

He...

Okay, he didn’t have that kind of desperado who could do his dirty work for him.

He also didn’t have the ability to clean up all the messes so thoroughly that not a trace was left behind.

He was a businessman; he didn’t want to get involved in all this violent business.

"Bill, what do we do now?"

Steve stretched out his neck and stared at the car’s rearview mirror, fearing that a Dean would suddenly pop out if he wasn’t careful.

"Let’s go back!" Gates said, still seething with anger, thus ending his trip to Washington.

But this couldn’t go on; Gates wasn’t one to admit defeat easily.

On the contrary, he had a very strong competitive spirit; he wouldn’t tolerate being threatened by Dean again and again.

He didn’t like being in a passive position; he needed to have the ability to strike back.

Gates decided to use his father’s connections after returning to thoroughly investigate Dean’s background.

He always felt that this wasn’t the Dean he remembered. They hadn’t just met for the first time.

Plus, how could a country bumpkin from Ohio have such power?

Gates was frustrated, but at the same time, he was completely baffled.

...

The Washington meeting lasted for about a week, during which time Silicon Valley figures like Dean actively put forward their opinions.

With their unanimous approval, the "High-Performance Computing Act" had been set to go into effect by the end of the year.

Furthermore, the "decentralized" democratic structure of the Internet would remain intact, meaning it wouldn’t be handed over to any big corporation.

This was a unanimous request by Silicon Valley, including Gates, intended specifically to target IBM.

They would never trust the privatized network to IBM; it was their lifeline for the future.

For Dean and the others, they’d rather have a dozen more carriers in the future than to let IBM develop a monopoly and become the next AT&T.

Another landmark resolution was that the National Science Foundation would soon dismantle the walls around its online garden.

That is, amending the "Acceptable Use Policy" clauses to allow online commercial transactions to proceed.

Yes, in a couple of months, the NSFnet would revoke the previous ban on commerce, fully opening up for business transactions.

And the topic of privatizing the network and completely shutting down the NSFnet’s hosting organizations would be announced in a few months.

This meant that the Internet would no longer be under the supervision of the National Science Foundation. It would be handed over to the market to operate freely and truly.

The last obstacle in the Internet wave was about to be cleared away; the prelude to a major era was slowly unfolding.

On the eve of this dawn, Dean was not in a hurry to return to the West Coast.

He planned to take a trip to Virginia, adjacent to Washington; he needed to make his final arrangements in the Internet field.

The commercial Internet exchange had been established for almost a year, and the first data interchange center was about to be completed.

The alliance, which originally had just over ten members, had now expanded to more than twenty.

Now was the time to arm-wrestle with IBM; no one was willing to hand over the vast Internet communications market to someone else.

Additionally, it might be time for Price’s List to step out of Ohio; the opportunity could be ripe.

However, just as Dean was leaving Miranda’s apartment, preparing to head to Arlington, he was caught by a bunch of reporters.

"Mr. Price, have you seen today’s Forbes magazine?"

"What?" Dean looked puzzled; he had been following the hearings recently.

"Forbes 400, the list of the wealthiest 400 people in America has been released."

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