The Egg PC Takes Center Stage
The atmosphere at the Digital Revolution Conference shifted dramatically. Yoo Jae-won had tried to keep things light, but the stated theme was encryption, and with both money and prestige on the line, the attendees had remained intensely serious. When the sleek Egg PC appeared on stage, however, the free-spirited energy of Silicon Valley suddenly filled the hall. Jae-won personally lifted the machine from its cart and set it up, and the excitement doubled. He grasped the handle on top, moved the all-in-one unit to the desk, plugged in the power cord, and connected the keyboard. That was all it took. Because it was an integrated system, there was no need to hook up a separate monitor or VGA card, and the display itself required no additional power source. The setup was simple enough for even an elementary-school student to manage alone.
Jae-won felt a brief flutter of nerves before pressing the power button. One error and the whole demonstration would become a public humiliation. Fortunately, the machine booted without incident.
“It looks refined, but don’t be fooled—this is a monster. It packs a 486 processor, a SCSI hard drive, and four megabytes of RAM. The boot finished in seconds.”
Thanks to the high-performance drive, the Android Alpha desktop appeared almost instantly. Jae-won had brought the highest-spec prototype to ensure the demonstration ran flawlessly. Murmurs of astonishment rippled through the audience. The Egg PC looked deceptively simple, yet its specifications left even seasoned engineers impressed. Most flashy machines hid weak internals, but this one delivered on every promise.
The SCSI hard drive that properly supported the latest 486 CPU was a premium component rarely found in consumer PCs. It belonged to high-end publishing workstations from Apple or server models from Sun Microsystems. The monitor was equally impressive: a 14-inch Eizo unit from Japan capable of 1024×768 resolution with 256 colors—two steps above the standard 640×480 SVGA. Higher resolution and color depth usually slowed performance, but Glide X acceleration kept the interface snappier than DOS text mode.
“Until now, most computers in this industry have been beautiful but hollow. The outside looked impressive while the inside fell short. ID Technology intends to change that. From now on, what looks good will also perform well. Both sayings are Korean proverbs—you might want to remember them.”
Applause erupted. Even while quoting unfamiliar Korean expressions, Jae-won had struck a chord. Only five years had passed since the Atari Shock, and its aftermath still lingered: oversized, flashy boxes with disappointing contents. ID Technology had just declared it would break that pattern. Of course, the fully loaded Egg PC carried a matching price tag. A single SCSI card cost two million won, the 120-megabyte hard drive was expensive, and the Japanese CRT monitor added another million. Most consumers would never afford it, so the mass-market version produced by Sambo Computer would use more modest components. These top-tier parts had been installed solely because Jae-won had personally specified every detail for the prototype. The computer Intel had sent would be used for graphics and sound development; the Egg PC on stage would go home with him for programming and compilation work. A more affordable model with a 386 CPU and a suitably sized drive would also be offered.
“If you’d like to try the Egg PC yourself, visit the ID Technology booth at Comdex starting tomorrow, or stop by our flagship store after the show ends. You can also request quotes through any nationwide Trigem dealership.”
When Jae-won mentioned Sambo Computer, its logo appeared on the live screen behind him, along with the U.S. representative’s phone number. The stage lights made the audience rows difficult to see, yet he could clearly make out people scribbling notes. With that single announcement, the Egg PC’s success was already assured.
“That concludes the hardware introduction. Next, I’ll walk you through the AES-256 source code itself.”
After giving the front rows a moment to finish writing, Jae-won began the main presentation. He double-clicked the Turbo C icon on the desktop, and the familiar blue editing screen filled the display. He cracked his knuckles, loosening his shoulders, then the camera feed switched from him to the Egg PC’s monitor. His legendary coding session began.
One hour. That was how long it took to type out the entire AES-256 source code live while explaining every function in detail. The professionals and hackers in the audience looked visibly unsettled. The structure of the supposedly impregnable encryption system turned out to be far simpler than expected—yet no obvious weaknesses presented themselves. Brute-forcing the key by hacking the person who used it would probably be faster. Some of the contestants chasing the ten-million-dollar Security Challenge were ruthless enough to consider it, but the organizers had already announced that any threat to Jae-won or ID Technology executives would result in immediate cancellation. Since the prize money itself would vanish if the contest ended, no one had attempted physical intimidation.
“As you can see, the algorithm is simple yet powerful. We have patented it. Anyone interested in licensing the encryption should contact ID Technology directly.”
Royalty rates for AES-256 were set on a sliding scale depending on purpose and scale. A major bank using it commercially would pay a substantial fee, while a nonprofit research lab protecting data would receive it for far less. The cheapest option was simply purchasing ID Office—120 dollars bought full AES-256 protection. Those cases differed from adding the algorithm to existing software, of course.
The mood in the hall had changed. Earlier, the Egg PC had drawn cheers; now, scattered attendees shook their heads. Not many—only those capable of judging the encryption’s strength from the source code alone, and their numbers were small. The majority, however, were already mentally returning to their labs and workshops, newly determined to tackle the Security Challenge. Both groups shared one reaction: they stared at Jae-won in disbelief. Watching him type at elite-developer speed and accuracy had left them speechless.
As the event began to wind down, Jae-won stepped forward again.
“For those who still feel unsatisfied, I have one more surprise.”
Conferences needed bonuses. He closed Turbo C, returned to the Android Alpha desktop, and moved the cursor to the telephone icon.
“Could someone bring me a telephone, please?”
Right on cue, Remington appeared pushing a cart carrying a real telephone with a long cord already attached.
“Thank you.”
Jae-won gave him a crisp thumbs-up, then carefully unplugged the phone line and connected it to the modem port on the back of the Egg PC. He double-checked every connection to avoid the embarrassment Bill Gates had once suffered by launching a program before the modem was properly attached. Satisfied, he clicked the telephone icon—the dial-up connection utility.
“In an age when communication between organizations and individuals grows ever more important, various services now allow the direct transfer of digital data. PC communication services and FTP are stable, but they lack security or bidirectional capability.”
The internet existed, yet without the World Wide Web it remained underused. Jae-won intended to demonstrate proper internet usage right here.
“Allow me to introduce ID Talk, the multi-user messenger that solves these problems at once.”
Once the modem finished dialing, he launched ID Talk. The messenger window that had previously allowed him to chat live with Remington, the development team, and even ID Software employees in Texas now appeared on the Egg PC. The audience, which had been drifting toward the exits, suddenly leaned forward again. Only a month earlier the program had been little more than crude lines and boxes; now it looked like a modern messenger. Icons sat beside each user ID, and contact lists could be organized into friends, colleagues, or even “the boss.”
“A single ID lets you build networks with friends and coworkers. People you’ve added as friends appear online or offline in the contact window. Offline friends can’t chat in real time, but you can send them short messages they’ll see the next time they log in. Online friends can connect instantly for live conversation.”
Jae-won placed the cursor on Remington’s online name and pressed Enter. He used a keyboard shortcut, though he knew beginners would find the mouse easier.
“Vice President Remington, how did you find today’s presentation?”
He typed the question while reading it aloud.
—Remington: It wasn’t bad.
The reply appeared instantly. Chat culture was already familiar in America, so the audience understood ID Talk’s purpose at once.
“Wait—what do you mean, ‘not bad’? That’s all you have to say?”
—Remington: The Egg PC part was excellent, but once you moved on, you started spouting alien language no layman could follow. Watching you and this audience treat that impossible code like casual conversation made you all look like monsters. A simpler explanation for ordinary people like me would have earned you a much higher score.
Laughter and a few good-natured jeers swept the hall. The computer enthusiasts and hackers couldn’t fathom how anyone could fail to understand such straightforward code. Just then a chime sounded and a message box appeared: John had requested to join the chat room. Jae-won clicked YES, and John’s name appeared in the participant list.
—John: Sorry to butt in. Where exactly do we go to buy an Egg PC?
It was John Carmack of ID Software, dropping in unannounced. The exchange had been scripted in advance. Jae-won had already sent Remington the finished AES-256 source code for review, and he had forwarded Carmack a brochure containing images of the Egg PC.
“ID Talk will be available starting at midnight tonight on ID Technology’s BBS, CompuServe, and university FTP sites. Any PC connected to the internet can run it—even a 286. Registration and use are both free.”
The year was 1989. ID Talk was being released at an astonishingly early date. From this moment forward, the messenger market belonged to ID Technology.