Kookmin PC and the Dallas Summit
The process of connecting to Jeon Myeong-heon via the High Performance Computer line proved somewhat complicated. Yoo Jae-won dialed the direct line that promised the fastest connection, yet several waits were required. In the age of mobile phones, a direct call to Jeon Myeong-heon's cell would have connected instantly. Now, with only landlines available, even a direct number meant being transferred from person to person.
"Ah, it's me."
Fortunately, he did not wait long before Jeon Myeong-heon's voice came through the receiver.
"Grandfather, it's Jae-won!"
"Oh, it's you. What's going on?"
"Hehe, do I only call when something's wrong?"
"Of course not. Still, whenever you call, something good always seems to follow."
Jeon Myeong-heon's remark struck home, and Yoo Jae-won flinched. Thinking back on their previous calls, he realized he had only reached out when he needed something.
"Ugh, you're right. From now on, I'll call just to check in. Anyway, I've come up with an absolutely brilliant policy. Want to hear it?"
"Of course. What is it?"
"Half-price PCs."
"Half-price PCs? What do you mean?"
As expected, Jeon Myeong-heon reacted immediately. His tone carried the same energy as the man who had first introduced the "half-price" series—half-price apartments, half-price school uniforms—into Korean political history as the founding chairman of his party.
Yoo Jae-won quickly explained the core principles behind the Kookmin PC initiative. Jeon Myeong-heon slapped his knee in approval. He had inherited the Information Superhighway project from the previous administration, but upon closer inspection, it was riddled with problems—especially a lack of detail despite its enormous budget. Selecting manufacturers for the Kookmin PC and providing subsidies would let citizens directly experience the completion of the Information Superhighway. It would be a tremendous help.
Having run the massive Mirae Group, Jeon Myeong-heon also sensed immediately that such a project offered plenty of room for profit. Of course, with more money than he could ever spend and nothing left but a hunger for honor, he had no intention of lining his own pockets. Still, for smooth policy execution, a few scattered beans of profit never hurt.
"I'll do my best to give you a positive answer as soon as possible. And Jae-won, I'll gladly take your calls even without these kinds of opportunities. Call anytime."
"Hehe, got it. I'll call again soon."
Thanks to that, the conversation with Jeon Myeong-heon ended on an excellent note.
After hanging up, Yoo Jae-won picked up the receiver again and dialed another direct line—this time to Lee Yong-kwon, president of TG. The Kookmin PC project was far too large for Sejin Electronics Land to handle alone. If Sejin Electronics Land took charge of the low-end models, TG could handle the mid-range and high-end versions. The premium Egg series might face some resistance when applying for subsidies, since critics would question why the government should subsidize computers bought by wealthy households. However, the ADSL promotion being run by DACOM did not consider PC prices at all, so there would be no issue receiving those benefits.
A few days later, Yoo Jae-won was at San Francisco Airport, waiting for a flight to Dallas, the capital of Texas. It had been a while since he last visited the ID Software headquarters. John Carmack, who had delivered one hit after another, had also proven quite capable at management, allowing Yoo Jae-won to focus on other matters without much concern. Yet that, too, seemed to have reached its limit. In particular, conflicts over the next project after Doom 2 were intense, and coordinating the next version of the Glide X 3D library with 3D accelerator card manufacturers was proving difficult. Problems of this scale could not be resolved through ID Talk video meetings alone, so Yoo Jae-won had decided to fly to Dallas in person.
While waiting, he did not stop working. With a Shell Book on his lap, he reviewed the articles his secretary's office clipped for him every day. Reporters' articles were heavily colored by the media outlet or the journalist's own views, so taking them at face value was dangerous. One needed a clear set of values to extract only the facts while discarding the subjectivity. Still, not every article was like that.
—Expo Venue Hit by Heavy Rain!
—Continuous downpours make normal operations at Expo pavilions impossible!
The newly clipped articles that appeared on Yoo Jae-won's Shell Book contained only facts, so no filtering was necessary. He had received word yesterday that heavy rain had fallen in Daejeon, and apparently trouble had followed.
—Several pavilions, including the ID Technology exhibition hall, report no damage!
As expected, the ID Technology pavilion had suffered no damage despite the downpour. Though it looked like a flimsy temporary structure made of H-beams, its waterproofing measures had been thorough. Sensitive electronic equipment, such as the server room, had been placed on the top floor in anticipation of possible flooding—unlike the usual practice of putting such equipment in basements. This precaution was based on the memory of a previous flood.
Even so, while the ID Technology pavilion itself was fine, the entire Expo grounds were flooded, making it impossible to resume operations immediately. They would have to remain closed until the Expo organizing committee decided to reopen.
"The problem is the reservation schedule. How are we supposed to adjust that?"
If it were walk-in ticketing, adjustment would not have been necessary. They could simply close during the flooding and reopen on a first-come, first-served basis. But the ID Technology pavilion had been accepting advance reservations for about a month. For the next several days, the doors would have to stay shut, meaning any schools that had booked during that period would be out of luck.
"Well, there's no helping it."
Yoo Jae-won's decision came easily. All reservations up to the reopening date would simply have to be canceled. The entire Expo was effectively closed, and since this was a natural disaster, there would be no compensation. The ID Technology pavilion was already drawing considerable envy from other participating companies. Its quality was top-tier, and even the Vice President of the United States had visited. Moreover, its error-free reservation system offered maximum convenience. Many other pavilions operated on a first-come, first-served basis without reservations, which inevitably invited unfavorable comparisons. Unlike the ID Technology pavilion, where visitors could walk right in if they arrived on time, other pavilions often required waiting half a day in line. The summer sun in Daejeon was notoriously harsh, and with inadequate shade, even the most patient person would grow angry. Above all, the quality of the staff differed. There was bound to be a gap in capability between volunteers and people receiving proper salaries, even if only temporarily.
Already under scrutiny, offering extra concessions would not cause further problems, and it was well within ID Group's capacity. Yet Yoo Jae-won's conclusion was that there was no need to take responsibility for matters that were not their fault. A generous image was good, but it could easily flip into the image of a pushover. Sometimes, firmness was better.
"Since it's until the end of October, there's still plenty of time to rebook."
Having made his decision, Yoo Jae-won relayed the instructions to Kim Dae-seok beside him. Kim Dae-seok immediately used the international phone in the lounge to notify the Expo operations headquarters.
Shortly afterward, boarding began, and Yoo Jae-won and his party boarded the plane.
"Whew, it's hot."
The moment he stepped off the plane, the first words out of Yoo Jae-won's mouth were about the heat. August in Dallas lived up to its reputation. Temperatures climbed as high as 36 degrees, and the humidity made it feel much like a Korean summer.
"Boss!"
John Carmack had come to the airport to greet him once again. He looked much the same as before—long hair and silver-rimmed glasses—but closer inspection revealed several changes.
"Wow, John, I heard you've been doing well. You look great!"
The first thing that caught the eye was the watch on John's left wrist. Yoo Jae-won had assumed John paid no attention to such things, yet there it was—a Royal Oak automatic. His clothes were casual but clearly high quality, and even his black dress shoes came from a luxury brand. Most of all, his face looked bright. Despite the stress over the sequel and the library issues, there was no sign of hardship on his face.
"Haha, Doom 2 has been selling incredibly well."
He did not forget to boast good-naturedly. Although some time had passed since its release, Doom 2's popularity remained strong—perhaps even stronger now than at launch. That made sense. At the time of release, computers capable of running it properly had not been widely available. Only something like a New Egg could deliver a steady 60 frames in SVGA resolution, while a 486 needed heavy tweaking just to reach 30 frames. To truly enjoy Doom 2, one needed at least a Pentium-class CPU and a high-end 3D accelerator card costing over $300.
Even so, three million copies had sold in the first three months after launch. Still, it seemed unlikely to surpass the original Doom. The turnaround came when Yoo Jae-won announced the Coppermine process. At first, the public did not understand what it was. Once it became known as a technology that dramatically improved semiconductor performance, excitement followed. 3D accelerator card manufacturers responded swiftly as well. Those who adopted the new process first released HPC-certified cards whose performance was on an entirely different level. An HPC-certified card could deliver 60 frames at 640×480 SVGA resolution as a baseline. Some of the better cards even maintained 60 frames in 32-bit color mode. While the new HPC-marked models were more expensive than previous high-end cards, well-off adult gamers opened their wallets without hesitation.
The HPC system also benefited those with tighter budgets. As new cards flooded the market, prices of older high-end accelerator cards plummeted. Even if they were previous-generation, they were still perfectly usable. The number of gamers buying these halved-price cards to run Doom 2 was enormous. Some graphics card manufacturers even began bundling Doom 2 as a standard inclusion, sending sales figures climbing once more.
Once the HPC CPU—the true highlight of the HPC ecosystem—was released, Doom 2 would soar again. In preparation, John Carmack had mobilized ID Software's full resources to develop an expansion pack for Doom 2. The development direction focused on showcasing a new visual standard by fully utilizing the HPC's ultra-high performance. It would include previously unused technologies such as multi-texturing, dynamic lighting, and high-polygon models. Expectations were high.
"How do you like the New Egg 2?"
For this development work, ID Software had naturally equipped its team with HPC-certified computers, right down to the CPU. That computer was the New Egg 2.
"It's fantastic!"
At Yoo Jae-won's question, John Carmack grinned and gave a thumbs-up. Before receiving the New Egg 2, John Carmack had held some prejudice against all-in-one computers. He had believed that a proper computer needed to be a big-tower model for easy expansion. Using the New Egg 2, however, had changed his mind. If a machine came fully loaded with top-tier components from the start, along with high-capacity memory, a large hard drive, and good design, perhaps a big tower was not necessary after all.
"I hope the HPC launches soon so everyone else can see it too. Has a release date been set?"
Yoo Jae-won nodded at John's question. ID Group knew the HPC CPU launch date in advance because their relationship with manufacturers like Intel and AMD went beyond mere partnership. Before releasing a new CPU, compatibility verification with operating systems was essential. While large server operating systems were also tested, the most critical factor was compatibility with Android OS, which dominated the personal PC market. Kevin Johnson, president of the Android Division in Redmond, was leading that effort. When the Android development team encountered technical challenges beyond their expertise, ID Technology's seasoned developers stepped in, and when even they struggled, Yoo Jae-won himself got involved. Through this cooperation, receiving advance notice of the official announcement date was only natural.
"End of September."
Yoo Jae-won knew the exact date but chose not to share it. He wanted to avoid any possibility of violating the non-disclosure agreements signed with Intel and AMD. Breaking an NDA would not necessarily trigger massive disputes, but it was only proper to honor what one had agreed to keep confidential.
"Ah, so there's still more than a month left."
John looked deeply disappointed. The Doom 2 expansion pack was already complete. Releasing it now without a system capable of running it would only draw complaints from gamers. That was why the expansion pack's release date had been set for the same day as the HPC CPU announcement, with plans to bundle it with some products. Having to wait so much longer seemed to weigh on him.
"Actually, Intel and AMD have their own reasons."
"What do you mean?"
Both companies had produced enough HPC CPU golden samples to distribute widely. Thousands had been sent to TG to build New Egg 2 units, which were now being used to great acclaim at the Expo and ID Software. Unofficially, a thousand units had even gone into systems supplied to the CIA. Despite this smooth production, the official launch was still delayed because both companies had manufactured massive quantities of Pentium-class CPUs, expecting them to sell extremely well. Major manufacturers like Dell and Compaq had also taken large volumes. Once the HPC CPU launched, those units would instantly become dead stock, so the companies were waiting for some of that inventory to clear before proceeding.
"Good heavens. You're saying they're waiting for all that stock to sell out?"
"Don't worry. Dead stock or not, it'll disappear in no time."
It might be dead stock in the United States, but not in countries like Korea. Once the Kookmin PC project began, that so-called dead stock would vanish almost instantly, and the burden on Intel, AMD, and the rest of the computer industry in preparing for the HPC ecosystem would ease considerably.
While Yoo Jae-won and John discussed recent industry developments, the car carrying them arrived at the ID Software headquarters.
"Wow!"
The building, completely rebuilt with the success of Doom, stood tall on the outskirts of Dallas. With only low structures nearby, it looked especially imposing. True to an IT company, it featured the latest intelligent systems. The exterior, blending metal and glass appropriately, made it even more striking.
"Looks good, doesn't it? You should get one for yourself too, Boss."
Yoo Jae-won had never felt particularly inconvenienced by the lack of a proper group headquarters building, which was why he had no plans to construct one in Silicon Valley or Korea. Yet seeing the ID Software building made him reconsider. Having a penthouse-style office on the top floor, looking down over the city while working, sounded rather pleasant.
"Well… maybe I should."
An unexpected gust of ambition had just blown in.