the.world.is.flat-第15章
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melding of them all together into a single interoperable system。 That happened； said
Mundie； once we had in crude form a standardized computing platform…the IBM PC…along
with a standardized graphical user interface for word processing and
spreadsheets…Windows…along with a standardized tool for communication…dial…up
modems and the global phone network。 Once we had that basic interoperable platform；
then the killer applications drove its diffusion far and wide。
〃People found that they really liked doing all these things on a computer； and they
really improved productivity；〃 said Mundie。 〃They all had broad individual appeal
and made individual people get up and buy a Windows…enabled PC and put it on their
desk； and that forced the diffusion of this new platform into the world of corporate
computing even more。 People said； 'Wow； there is an asset here； and we should take
advantage of it。'〃
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The more established Windows became as the primary operating system； added Mundie；
〃the more programmers went out and wrote applications for rich…world businesses to
put on their computers； so they could do lots of new and different business tasks；
which started to enhance productivity even more。 Tens of millions of people around
the world became programmers to make the PC do whatever they wanted in their own
languages。 Windows was eventually translated into thirty…eight languages。 People
were able to become familiar with the PC in their own languages。〃
This was all new and exciting； but we shouldn't forget how constricted this early
PC…Windows…modem platform was。 〃This platform was constrained by too many
architectural limits；〃 said Mundie。 〃There was missing infrastructure。〃 The Internet
as we know it today…with seemingly magical transmission protocols that can connect
everyone and everything…had not yet emerged。 Back then； networks had only very basic
protocols for exchangingfiles and e…mail messages。 Sopeople who were using computers
with the same type of operating systems and software could exchange documents through
e…mail orfile transfers； but even doing this was tricky enough that only the computing
elite took the trouble。 You couldn't just sit down and zap an e…mail or a file to
anyone anywhere…especially outside your own company or outside your own Internet
service…the way you can today。 Yes； AOL users could communicate withCompuServe users；
but it was neither simple nor reliable。 As a result； said Mundie； a huge amount of
data and creativity was accumulating in all those computers； but there was no easy；
interoperable way to share it and mold it。 People could write new applications that
allowed selected systems to work together； but in general this was limited to planned
exchanges between PCs within the network of a single company。
This period from 11/9 to the mid…1990s still led to a huge advance in personal
empowerment； even if networks were limited。 It was the age of 〃Me and my machine can
now talk to each other better and faster； so that I personally can do more tasks〃
and the age of 〃Me and my machine can now talk to a few friends and some other people
in my company better and faster； so we can become more productive。〃 The walls had
fallen and the Windows had opened； making the world much flatter than it
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had ever been…but the age of seamless global communication had not dawned。
Though we didn't notice it； there was a discordant note in this exciting new era。
It wasn't only Americans and Europeans who joined the people of the Soviet Empire
in celebrating the fall of the wall…and claming credit for it。 Someone else was raising
a glass…not of champagne but of thick Turkish coffee。 His name was Osama bin Laden
and he had a different narrative。 His view was that it was the jihadi fighters in
Afghanistan； of which he was one； who had brought down the Soviet Empire by forcing
the Red Army to withdraw from Afghanistan （with some help from U。S。 and Pakistani
forces）。 And once that mission had been accomplished… the Soviets completed their
pullout from Afghanistan on February 15； 1989； just nine months before the fall of
the Berlin Wall…bin Laden looked around and found that the other superpower； the
United States； had a huge presence in his own native land； Saudi Arabia； the home
of the two holiest cities in Islam。 And he did not like it。
So； while we were dancing on the wall and opening up our Windows and proclaiming that
there was no ideological alternative left to free…market capitalism； bin Laden was
turning his gun sights on America。 Both bin Laden and Ronald Reagan saw the Soviet
Union as the 〃evil empire；〃 but bin Laden came to see America as evil too。 He did
have an ideological alternative to free…market capitalism…political Islam。 He did
not feel defeated by the end of the Soviet Union； he felt emboldened by it。 He did
not feel attracted to the widened playing field； he felt repelled by it。 And he was
not alone。 Some thought that Ronald Reagan brought down the wall by bankrupting the
Soviet Union through an arms race； others thought IBM； Steve Jobs； and Bill Gates
brought down the wall by empowering individuals to download the future。 But a world
away； in Muslim lands； many thought bin Laden and his comrades brought down the Soviet
Empire and the wall with religious zeal； and millions of them were inspired to upload
the past。
In short； while we were celebrating 11/9； the seeds of another memorable
date…9/11…were being sown。 But more about that later in the book。 For now； let the
flattening continue。
Flattener #2
8/9/95 When Netscape Went Public
By the mid…1990s； the PC…Windows network revolution had reached its limits。 If the
world was going to become really interconnected； and really start to flatten out；
the revolution needed to go to the next phase。 And the next phase； notes Microsoft's
Mundie； 〃was to go from a PC…based computing platform to an Internet…based platform。〃
The killer applications that drove this new phase were e…mail and Internet browsing。
E…mail was being driven by the rapidly expanding consumer portals like AOL； CompuServe；
and eventually MSN。But it was the new killer app； the Webbrowser…which could retrieve
documents or Web pages stored on Internet Web sites and display them on any computer
screen…that really captured the imagination。 The actual concept of the World Wide
Web…a system for creating； organizing； and linking documents so they could be easily
browsed…was created by British computer scientist TimBerners…Lee。 He put up the first
Web site in 1991； in an effort to foster a computer network that would enable
scientists to easily share their research。 Other scientists and academics had created
a number of browsers to surf this early Web； but the first mainstream browser…and
the whole culture of Web browsing for the general public…was created by a tiny start…up
company in Mountain View； California； called Netscape。 Netscape went public on August
9； 1995； and the world has not been the same since。
As John Doerr； the legendary venture capitalist whose firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield
& Byers had backed Netscape； put it； 〃The Netscape IPO was a clarion call to the world
to wake up to the Internet。 Until then； it had been the province of the early adopters
and geeks。〃
This Netscape…triggered phase drove the flattening process in several key ways： It
gave us the first broadly popular commercial browser to surf the Internet。 The
Netscape browser not only brought the Internet alive but also made the Internet
accessible to everyone from five…year…olds to eighty…five…year…olds。 The more alive
the Internet became； the more consumers wanted to do different things on the Web；
so the more they de57
manded computers； software； and telecommunications networks that could easily
digitize words； music； data； and photos and transport them on the Internet to anyone
else's computer。 This demand was satisfied by another catalytic event： the rollout
of Windows 95； which shipped the week after Netscape took its stock public。 Windows
95 would soon become the operating system used by most people worldwide； and
