"What happened? Something terrible has occurred. The new computer that came in at the factory, I don't know what Su Ya did to it, the computer started smoking. Liu Juanjuan, who works in the same class as her, thought the computer was on fire, so she picked up her teacup and poured it on the computer. Well, you could hear the computer crackling and popping, it's completely ruined. More than 30,000 yuan, Su Ya is in big trouble now." Xu Shuai told Xing Baohua with a smile.
At this moment, Xing Baohua was lost in thought, his mind filled with that broken computer. Having come to this era, as a skilled software and hardware engineer, he really couldn't accomplish anything without a computer.
Just now, when asked what day it was, before Xu Shuai could answer, Xing Baohua already knew in his mind what era he was in: today is April 6, 1984.
In the early 1980s, computers were not something that individuals could own. Firstly, they were too expensive, and secondly, only professionals could use them. What would someone who didn't understand computers do with them?
The municipal machinery factory was one of the largest factories in the city, with over 5,000 workers alone. Adding retirees and various temporary workers, the total workforce reached 7,000 to 8,000. Xing Baohua's recollection was that when the factory acquired this computer, it was a purchase mandated by higher authorities. It wasn't a purchase driven by the factory's own needs; it was subject to certain consumption quotas.
To address this, the factory converted a room next to the main office in the office building into a dust-free, temperature-controlled, and anti-static computer room. Entering the computer room requires wearing a white lab coat to remove static electricity.
Computers in this era were incredibly delicate. In Xing Baohua's eyes, however delicate, it was still just a computer, and a particularly useless one at that. The RAM and hard drive both started with "M" (megabytes). After booting up, it had to run using DOS code. Fortunately, Xing Baohua knew DOS.
Xing Baohua was thinking about how to use this computer. Only then could he have a chance to use his talents and showcase them.
"Hey! What are you standing there for? Are you feeling sorry for Su Ya or are you gloating a little? Let me tell you, the factory is still investigating Su Ya's case. After the computer engineer arrives, they'll assess the extent of the damage. If it can be fixed, Su Ya will probably only get a disciplinary action. If it can't be fixed, depending on the price, she could be fired or sentenced to more than ten years in prison. Damaging state property is a serious crime. Last year, those two guys who stole the railway tracks sold them for a total of more than three thousand yuan, and they were both executed. That was also a crime of damaging state property."
"Can they be the same? That's a crime endangering public safety, which has nothing to do with the value of the rails. How dangerous is a train derailment? If it's a freight train, tens or hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo could be lost. If it's a passenger train, there are hundreds of people in each carriage, and two or three thousand people in a dozen carriages. That's the real hidden danger. Besides, last year was a year of strict crackdowns, and anyone who committed a crime was severely punished."
“As for Su Ya’s matter, she deserves some punishment, but a prison sentence is another matter. Didn’t you say a computer engineer would come to fix it? What if he can fix it?” Xing Baohua said.
"Repairing it doesn't cost money! This thing is so expensive." Xu Shuai said with a sneer.
"The large imported machine tools in the factory are no more expensive than computers! If they break down, we can still repair them, right? They didn't arrest the operators. Computers are like equipment; if they break down, we repair them. If they can't be repaired, we scrap them and buy a new one."
"You make it sound so easy! You're the factory manager! You're buying another one. I've heard that these things are just for show in the computer room. Apart from Su Ya who has received training, no one else dares to touch them."
"Then you don't know how useful computers are. Let me tell you, if our factory makes full use of electronics, whether it's management, production, sales, logistics, etc., we can rank among the top in the country, and even have a place in the world's top 500 companies."
"Tch, you're just bragging! Fortune 500, our factory is in the top 50 in China." Although Xu Shuai spoke rudely, he was also quite proud of the factory's achievements.
“Okay, our factory is a big one in the province, with at least 10,000 employees,” Xing Baohua said.
"Yeah, we can't even get into our factory now. We're both just temporary workers. Unless your dad and my dad both retire, sigh! Let's not talk about this anymore. I heard our factory is going to expand. If we wait a while, maybe we factory kids' temporary worker status will be made permanent."
"It's been rumored for over two years now. Does the factory have the money to expand? There's more to this than you can explain in a short time," Xing Baohua said, standing up from the bedside and draping his coat over his arm.
"What you're saying sounds weird, like something's not right!" Xu Shuai scratched his head and looked at Xing Baohua, asking again, "Where are you going?"
"I'll go check out that computer in the factory office building. If it's not too bad, maybe I can fix it."
"Xiuxiu, you? You studied TV repair, and you want to repair computers? Do you even know how? You haven't even fixed your broken radio yet, and the parts are still piled up in a drawer. And you want to repair computers?" Xu Shuai said excitedly, rushing in front of Xing Baohua to block his way.
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