Chapter 329: Operating Systems, Usable by Everyone

Late in the night on the third day, quite a few people gathered outside the laboratory.

No one knew what Li Mingyuan was up to inside, but judging by his unusual behavior, it certainly wasn't anything ordinary.

"Lao Liu, has it really been three days?" Minister Zhang asked with a frown.

"Yes, he only let me deliver food, and he barely touched his water cup; I suspect he hasn't even closed his eyes," Lao Liu said worriedly.

"Has this guy gone crazy?" an old engineer muttered.

"Even back when he was developing the Thunder Strike-1, he wasn't this desperate."

Just as they were discussing it, the laboratory door opened with a "click."

Li Mingyuan stood at the doorway, his beard stubbly and his eyes bloodshot, but his spirit was strangely exhilarated.

"Everyone," his voice was a bit hoarse but could not hide his excitement, "emergency meeting, now, immediately!"

Half an hour later, in the Military Industry Commission conference room, everyone stared curiously at Li Mingyuan and the unassuming-looking Computer in front of him.

"Chief Engineer Li, what is this..." Minister Zhang asked cautiously, his gaze shifting back and forth between Li Mingyuan's exhausted face and the "little square box" on the table.

Li Mingyuan took a deep breath, looked around at everyone in the room, and a mysterious smile slowly curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Today, please witness something brand new—a system that will completely change the way Computers are used. From now on, using a Computer will be as simple as using a kettle."

A wave of sneers and skeptical muttering immediately erupted in the conference room.

"As simple as a kettle? Chief Engineer Li, are you too tired?" an old engineer couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"A Computer is a scientist's tool; how can it be compared to a kettle?"

Another technician also couldn't help but chuckle:

"Exactly, even punch cards require professional training; how could an average person figure that out?"

Li Mingyuan didn't mind, his smile only deepening.

He turned to Minister Zhang: "Minister Zhang, do you know how to use a Computer?"

Minister Zhang was taken aback, then shook his head with some embarrassment:

"That thing is too complicated, how would I understand it? Watching you all use it before was like reading a heavenly book."

"Very well," Li Mingyuan pressed the power button, "now, please try this Computer."

The Computer screen lit up, but unlike the command-line interface everyone was familiar with, several neatly arranged options appeared on the screen:

【1】 Calculation

【2】 File Storage

【3】 Engineering Design

【4】 Automatic Assembly Parameter Settings

The conference room went quiet instantly, and everyone stared at the screen, dumbfounded.

"This... what is this thing?" An elderly engineer pushed up his glasses, as if suspecting he had seen wrong.

"Why does it look like a TV program schedule?"

Li Mingyuan smiled and said to Minister Zhang:

"Minister Zhang, please try pressing the number '1' on the keyboard."

Minister Zhang looked puzzled, cautiously extended a finger, and pressed "1" on the keyboard.

The screen switched immediately, displaying a simple calculation interface with "Please enter calculation formula" shown at the top.

"Now, you can enter any formula you want to calculate, for example, '235+789'," Li Mingyuan instructed patiently.

Minister Zhang did as told, staring straight at the screen, afraid of doing something wrong.

When he finished entering it and pressed the Enter key, the result was immediately displayed on the screen: 1024.

"This... it calculated it just like that?" Minister Zhang opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"No need to write programs? No need for punch cards?"

"Yes," Li Mingyuan nodded.

"And you can also press the 'B' key to return to the main menu and try other functions."

Minister Zhang pressed the "B" key, and the screen indeed returned to the main menu.

Exclamations began to ripple through the conference room.

"This is impossible..." an electronics engineer muttered to himself.

"How can a Computer become so... so simple?"

"Please try the third item, 'Engineering Design'," Li Mingyuan suggested.

Minister Zhang pressed "3," and a simple graphical interface appeared on the screen, showing a few basic geometric shapes and some operation options.

"Now, you can use the arrow keys to move the cursor, select the shape you want, and then press the spacebar to place it," Li Mingyuan explained.

Minister Zhang did as told and was amazed to discover that he could actually "draw" simple shapes on the screen.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't enter a single line of code, just followed the prompts on the screen.

"Good heavens..." Minister Zhang was so excited his face turned red, "This... this is simply awesome! I, I actually know how to use a Computer!"

The atmosphere in the conference room changed completely, and everyone scrambled to try their hand at it.

The Military Department Director also squeezed over: "Let me try too!"

Li Mingyuan gave up his seat, and the Military Department Director sat down impatiently, following the screen prompts, and quickly mastered the basic operations.

He even successfully created a new "task," entered a few lines of text, and saved it.

"My goodness!" The Military Department Director slapped the table in excitement.

"Even an old man like me can use this thing! Chief Engineer Li, what kind of monster have you created!"

An old scientist nearing sixty pointed at the screen with trembling fingers:

"This... isn't this 'foolproof' operation? As long as you follow the prompts, you don't need any professional knowledge... this is simply..."

"Revolution!" someone shouted aloud, "A Computer revolution!"

The technical staff began to discuss it all at once:

"In the past, one Computer required over a dozen experts working in shifts to operate, but now..."

"This is a graphical interface operation! A Computer that even a layman can use!"

"Just think, if this system were installed on all Computers..."

A young engineer was so excited that he became incoherent:

"Chief Engineer Li, how did you think of this? Is, is this... is this our future? A Computer that everyone can use?"

Department Head Zhang suddenly fell silent; he stared at the screen, his gaze becoming incomparably serious.

Then, he turned to Li Mingyuan, his voice low: "Chief Engineer Li, the strategic significance of this thing... is likely no less than the Lightning Strike-1 Missile."

Li Mingyuan nodded: "Yes, perhaps even greater."

"Greater than sinking an aircraft carrier?" someone asked, puzzled.

Department Head Zhang took a deep breath: "An aircraft carrier is merely a decisive factor in a single war, but this... this could determine the fate of the country for the next several decades."

The conference room fell silent once again; everyone realized the weight of this invention.

"From today on," the Military Department Director stood up, his voice steady and firm,

"this system will be classified as top secret. Chief Engineer Li, whatever conditions you need, just ask. We must promote this technology to all Computers as quickly as possible."

Li Mingyuan stood to the side, enjoying this moment of success, but he knew the real main event had not yet begun.

He looked at his watch; it was time.