In the 1980s, there were two very famous database software companies, one was called Oracle and the other was called Aston-Tate. The former’s Chinese name is widely recognized, called Oracle, while the latter’s Aston-Tate was established in the 1990s.

It was acquired by Sapphire Company in the early 1990s.

Oracle focused on the minicomputer market in its early years, and its first customer was the CIA of the United States. Aston-Tate focused on the microcomputer market.

In the 1980s, the DBASE database software developed by Aston-Tate Company once dominated the microcomputer market. Even if Oracle caught up with IBM, its market share was still lower than that of the DBASE database. It was known as the eighth

One of the three killer software applications on PC compatibles in the 1900s.

DBASE database software was sold by mail under the name "Vulcan" in the early days. It was not until one day that it was discovered by George Tartt who was looking through the mail order catalog that "Vulcan" began its glorious journey in the 1980s.

George Tate is one of the founders of Aston-Tate Company. Aston-Tate Company bought the "Vulcan" software in the 1980s and then renamed it DBASE database for sale.

The dBase system includes a core database engine, query system, forms engine, and a scripting programming language, and these components are sold together.

dBase was the first stand-alone database system widely used on personal computers. In 1980, it originally appeared as CP/M software and was later ported to DOS on Apple II and IBM PC. In dBase III and

dBase III Plus became the mainstream of the database market at that time, and then other companies launched products with similar or even enhanced functions.

Bai Zirui brought his assistant to Aston-Tate and met George Tate, the founder of Aston-Tate.

Bai Zirui introduced himself: "Hello, Mr. Tate! I am Zirui Bai, chairman of Xiangjiang Dingtian Company. You can also call me Andrew by my English name."

George Tate was slightly startled and said: "Dingtian Company? Is that the company that sells arcade machines?"

Bai Zirui nodded and said, "That's right!"

George Tate's words made Bai Zirui feel a little depressed. Dingtian Company was labeled as an arcade game. This recognition was not what Bai Zirui wanted.

George Tate asked in confusion: "Mr. Andrew, what do you want from me?"

Bai Zirui said: "In order to diversify our company, our company has established a software company and a computer company. We have come to acquire your company for the company's planning and development needs."

Ashton-Tate Corporation was founded in 1980 by George Tate and Hal Lashlee.

They bought out the license to a program called Vulcan written by Wayne Ratliff, who worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

After Ashton-Tate bought out the license, it was renamed dBase and began selling the product to the outside world. In 1981, Ashton-Tate released dBase II (CP/M software) with mediocre sales.

George Tate and Hal Lashlee had differences in the management of the company. The former believed that the company should continue to develop software, while the latter believed that the company should be sold and entered into other industries.

After Hal Lashlee learned that Bai Zirui came to acquire the company, he readily transferred the company's shares to him. When George Tate faced the betrayal of his partners, he was heartbroken and helpless.

Transfer the shares in your hand to Bai Zirui.

Because he knew what had happened, Bai Zirui acquired Hal Lashlee's shares and injecting capital into the company would soon dilute his shares.

Bai Zirui successfully acquired the Ashton-Tate company for US$3 million, convened a meeting with company personnel, announced the acquisition of the Ashton-Tate company, and merged the Ashton-Tate company into the beautiful country branch. Meng Jianhua sent someone to take over the subsequent matters.

deal with.

When Bai Zirui was in a good mood and successfully completed the acquisition of Ashton-Tate Company, his assistant Zhou Jiayi reported bad news to him.

Zhou Jiayi hung up the phone and reported to him: "Bai Sheng, the colleague sent to DRI Company to negotiate has just reported that the progress of their negotiations with the other party is not ideal, and the other party refuses to provide CP/M operating system patent authorization!"

Bai Zirui frowned when he heard this. He didn't expect that something he thought was the simplest thing would happen unexpectedly, but he didn't take it to heart and ordered: "Let our colleagues from the company come back and find another way."

DRI is the abbreviation of Digital Research. This company is most famous for developing the earliest microcomputer operating system-CP/M operating system in the era of eight-bit microcomputers. This system is known as the eight-bit computer operating system.

The standard of the system did not withdraw from the stage of history until the emergence of the DOS system.

In 1982, the CP/M operating system was still the mainstream in the market. If Dingtian Company wanted to release its own personal computer, it naturally needed an operating system.

Dingtian Company does not want to use the CP/M operating system directly, but wants to develop its own RoyalTek-Dos system. In order to be compatible with the CP/M operating system, it needs to use part of the DRI company's code.

If DRI's authorization is not obtained, DRI's RoyalTek-Dos operating system will be sued by DRI.

Dos operating system, also known as disk operating system, was the most commonly used operating system in the microcomputer market until Microsoft released Windows in 1995.

In 1980, Tim Patterson, a programmer at Seattle Computer Products Company, spent four months writing the 86-DOS operating system, an operating system based on the X86 architecture processor.

In July 1981, Microsoft purchased all the copyrights to the DOS operating system from the Seattle company for $50,000 and renamed it MS-DOS.

IBM released their first IBM 5150 personal computer, which used the DOS operating system. Since then, Microsoft has taken a ride on IBM-compatible computers and begun its path to dominance in the field of operating systems.

The X86 architecture was developed by Intel. In order to formulate industry standards and achieve an invisible monopoly, Intel and Microsoft formed the "Winter" alliance in the early 1980s, which made people grit their teeth but could do nothing about it.

As time goes by, the barriers of the "Winter" alliance become stronger and stronger, and almost no one behind them can break them.

In the fifteen years from 1981 to 1995, the DOS operating system was the mainstream in the market and a very practical operating system. It was deeply loved by people at home and abroad, with hundreds of millions of users

calculated users.

In 1995, due to commercial interests and other reasons, Microsoft decided to abandon its DOS system and develop Windows system.

This decision of Microsoft caused dissatisfaction among the majority of DOS users and enthusiasts. In their view, Win95, win98 and other systems are just large programs under DOS. Without the support of DOS, it cannot run at all.

It can be seen that the function of DOS is actually very powerful. DOS software has huge development potential. Powerful DOS enhancement programs like Windows can be programmed.

Windows is a multi-tasking operating environment, which has much higher constraints and restrictions on programming than DOS. Therefore, many programmers continue to develop DOS software out of dissatisfaction with Windows and a deep understanding of the value and potential of DOS development.
Chapter completed!