When Zhao Min heard Fang Qingping mistakenly assume that the small program was her creation, her face flushed with embarrassment. She wasn’t nearly that capable!
She had a fairly strong impression of Fang Qingping. She knew this boy was quite skilled in computing, something she had noticed during her previous classes. She wondered to herself, could it be that this student had made such a program just to show off? It was possible. After all, there were many genius students at Northwestern Polytechnical University, and many of them were incredibly self-taught. It wouldn’t be surprising if a student’s computing skills surpassed her own.
She stood up and walked down the aisle to Fang Qingping’s side. Fang Qingping felt a bit nervous, not knowing what this beautiful teacher intended to do.
“Open that mini-game again. I want to see what's going on,” Zhao Min said, standing behind him.
Fang Qingping scratched his head and turned to look at Zhao Min, saying, "Teacher, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. The other students are waiting for you to continue the class..."
He stammered, afraid that Zhao Min might actually be angry. Although seeing this beautiful teacher angry was kind of amusing, he didn’t feel like provoking her—especially since she had the power to fail him in the course.
Zhao Min responded, “I’m just curious. I want to see how this program behaves on your computer.”
Fang Qingping was momentarily stunned. He thought, “The program was written by you, how could you not know?”
“Teacher, I was just bored and opened Super Mario… As soon as I opened it, the game automatically closed itself.”
“Look, this is what happens,” Fang Qingping said as he input the command to start the Super Mario game again. The game screen had just appeared when it suddenly closed by itself. Immediately after, a dialog box popped up: “No mini-games allowed during class. Please close immediately!”
Zhao Min blinked. Judging by the boy’s reaction, it seemed this program wasn’t his doing. But this program was indeed incredibly useful! It was simply too useful.
In her past computer classes, while she lectured at the front, some students would be playing games in the back, which negatively affected the class. But now, with this program, anyone caught playing games during class would be warned. Moreover, she would also receive a notification.
Whoever created this program was really a benefactor. But who exactly had made it? Although the program seemed simple, achieving this level of functionality wasn’t easy. It was unlikely that any student would create something like this just to inconvenience her. After all, highly disciplined students wouldn’t play games during class, and those who did wouldn’t care about others playing.
A figure flashed in Zhao Min’s mind. This person was a Ph.D. student in the Department of Aeronautical Engineering named Tian Hongtao. He was the student of Professor Zheng Jingzhi, the head of the department. Tian Hongtao was highly skilled in computing and capable of complex programming. In the past, when there were issues with the computers in the lab that Zhao Min couldn’t fix, it was always Tian Hongtao who came to help.
Tian Hongtao often used the computers in the lab, and Zhao Min knew that he had a bit of a crush on her. Zhao Min had some affection for him as well, though it hadn’t developed into anything more.
Could it be that Tian Hongtao was the one who created this program?
“All right, let’s focus on the lesson. Everyone should be more attentive from now on. When it’s class time, concentrate on the class,” Zhao Min said as she returned to her computer to continue teaching.
After class, the students gradually left the computer lab, but Zhao Min remained behind.
The next class was a hands-on session for graduate students. She didn’t have to lecture but needed to be available for guidance.
In the small office next door, Zhang Zhipeng had been reading for nearly an hour. He stood up, stretched, and walked out.
He heard the bell signaling the end of the class. After the students left, he planned to go to the computer lab to check if there were any issues.
As he entered the computer lab, he saw Zhao Min sitting in front of the teacher’s computer, opening the Super Mario game.
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Zhao Min often played small games during her free time.
Today, however, she wanted to test whether the program that blocked games during class would still work after class.
Zhao Min successfully launched Super Mario without any forced shutdowns.
She marveled at how amazing the little program was, thinking it could precisely distinguish break times. In reality, her assumption was wrong.
Zhang Zhipeng had simply made an exception in the program for the computer she was using.
When Zhang Zhipeng saw Zhao Min playing Super Mario, he didn’t approach her to chat.
He walked around the classroom, found nothing amiss, and headed for the door.
At the door, he stopped, as Zhao Min was stretching and moving her body in front of him.
"Ms. Zhao, everything okay?" Zhang Zhipeng asked with a smile.
Zhao Min replied, "No issues, Mr. Zhang. Don’t worry, as long as I'm here, no one will cause trouble."
Zhang Zhipeng thought to himself, "How could there be no issues? The little program I made is bound to cause a stir."
However, since Zhao Min didn’t mention it, he didn’t bring it up either.
As Zhang Zhipeng reached the door, he ran into Tian Hongtao, who was walking briskly toward the computer lab.
They exchanged smiles and nodded at each other as they passed.
Zhang Zhipeng returned to his reading, thinking that when the computer lab was empty, he should practice his programming skills again.
Nowadays, he had no other place to use a computer except in the school's computer lab.
Arcades were starting to appear on the streets, but internet cafes hadn’t yet emerged, mainly because computers were still too expensive.
It wasn’t until the mid-1990s, when Windows 95 became popular and internet connections began to appear, that entertainment venues like internet cafes started to emerge.
Tian Hongtao entered the computer lab intending to chat with Zhao Min.
Zhao Min then mentioned the program on the lab computers that blocked students from playing games during class.
She said, "Dr. Tian, your little program is really clever! I opened it to take a look, and the design is so intricate. I need to learn more from you."
Tian Hongtao was taken aback, "I didn’t create such a program."
As he spoke, he walked over to a computer.
The computer had been shut down after the students left.
Tian Hongtao skillfully turned on the computer and began searching for the program Zhao Min mentioned.
Zhao Min was surprised, "It wasn’t you?"
"How strange."
At this point, Tian Hongtao had found the program. After studying it for a while, he said, "It’s well-made. Such a small program, yet so powerful."
"This is the work of a master!"
"Let me test if it really works."
Tian Hongtao attempted to open Super Mario.
As soon as the game launched, it abruptly closed, and a warning message popped up: "Games are prohibited during class time. Please close them immediately!"
Zhao Min, watching from behind, was astonished.
"Huh?! But it’s still break time! My computer could run Super Mario just fine."
Tian Hongtao stood up, "You already tested it?"
Zhao Min nodded, "Yes, I did. You don’t believe me? Take a look."
Her computer was still on.
She tried it again, and sure enough, her computer could open and run the game without any interference.
Tian Hongtao said, "I see. The person who designed this program set your computer as an exception."
"Tsk tsk! It looks like our department has another expert. I just wonder who it is."
At 5:30 in the afternoon, the computer lab was finally empty.
Zhang Zhipeng went over to clean up.
He looked outside, and it was still drizzling.
The autumn rain, once it started, really seemed endless.
However, Zhang Zhipeng didn’t mind the rain.
He always felt that rainy days allowed him to go about his tasks at a leisurely pace. No matter how busy he was, he felt a sense of calm.
After finishing the cleaning, Zhang Zhipeng simply closed the door to the computer lab, turned on a computer, and began to ponder programming again.
As he worked, he discovered numerous flaws in the MS-DOS operating system, which were as plentiful as holes in a sieve.
Microsoft’s system was truly beyond words...
Yet, despite its flaws, it was still the best computer operating system in the world.
Bill Gates was on the verge of becoming the world’s richest man because of it.
China actually had its own operating system, but it was easily defeated by Gates, who used the tactic of encouraging piracy.