Adobe is the world’s largest desktop publishing and electronic document and graphics software company, in the advertising industry and the publishing industry are known to everybody. Adobe’s renowned from it which owns the top-level software PhotoShop. PageMaker, Premiere. But Adobe really is the greatest achievements of its founder Dr. John Warnock made in 1980 for the Postscript page description language. Postscript and Apple’s Mac computers sparking a computer desktop publishing revolution. promoting the entire printing and publishing industries. Compared to their own entrepreneurial venture cooperation more difficult, most of the partners eventually split, If Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Paul Alen, Apple’s Steve Jobs and enjoy it. But Dr. John Warnock and Dr. Chunk Renewal in 1982 co-founded the Adobe, 16 companies from Adobe to their only two people to now has 2,700 employees. sales of nearly one billion U.S. dollars, they still are close cooperation in his business model of cooperation.

“The two school life turning point”

Warnock likes people to call him John, but when he was little, he did not show up as a scientist, the quality, in the ninth grade algebra test failure, the two-year secondary schools had a proficiency test, participate in the testing of teachers think that his engineering technology can be no, it is impossible to enter university study. But it is fortunate he faced a very talented math teachers Barton, Barton eliminated students of mathematics phobia and guide them to realize that the secret of mathematics, build their self-confidence, it is Warnock students of a career turning point. In Barton, under the guidance of the results Warnock straight up, and kept the A-class. Secondary education is a human growth and development in the most important phase, Barton almost all the students will have obtained a doctorate, which is a remarkable achievement.
1965 University of Utah Warnock was in a master’s degree in mathematics, and the University of Utah Center began work, and his work is to the center of large computer classes to prepare automatic registration process, This is a heavy boring work, but Warnock has become home to work on the act.
Warnock in the ICC monotonous career to an accident to the students interrupt, This student research project is to complete a graphical procedures, Presentations from mobile planted in the ship’s cameras photographed images of New York Harbor, the procedural requirements of real-time, that is, when the ship at the port of Mobile to the scene of the corresponding changes.
When an object in another mobile objects, how to deal with the image problem to the advantage of students. using general methods of determining which alone can show, which was partially hidden computer will be depleted, Warnock in the side of a never before seen in the solution is simple Obviously, But universities all software experts never think of that.
Warnock this accident became another turning point in life. Warnock suddenly became the school software star, and all people had to ask him how to solve the problem of hidden surface, So Dr. Warnock will study mathematics shifted from the direction of computer science, He soon found out computer graphics have become world-class experts.

“Legendary Xerox Research Center”

Warnock was in 1969, a doctorate computer, After graduating from the Warnock has worked for a number of companies, from Toronto to Maryland. in 1972 the family moved to the Silicon Valley in California, Evans & Sutherland for the company, presided over operating systems and real-time flight simulation development, 1978 Evans & Sutherland, the company wanted to move its Jewish state, Warnock wants to stay in the Silicon Valley. He then left the company to join the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC. Xerox Palo Alto Research Center). His recruitment is Chuck Renewal. Renewal : “The hiring of my life Warnock is the best decision. ”
Palo Alto Research Center computer business is full of legendary research institutions, Research Center gathered a group of very smart and very creative scientists, Macintosh computers and PCs since become the standard Windows graphical user interface, There LAN theory by Xerox scientists first invention. Research Center have the best equipment and personnel, here in a year, to learn things than in other parts of the five years to learn more, Any new ideas viewpoints After intense discussion and challenges But, very unfortunately, the bulk of research results have not been translated into Xerox products.
Xerox basically from the management of the sales, marketing and the Department of the Ministry of Finance, without any technical background, they were unable to understand new technology research center in real use. Xerox research center is established, but research centers and other departments without any communication, This eventually led to the failure of the research center, Ironically, Xerox had to be the last Postscipt technical support.

“The invention changed the world : Postscript”

In computer graphics, image display and print is a very difficult part. Traditionally, the use of bitmap format to store images, require very large storage space and memory space. Warnock think of a solution do not have to store the entire image data but according to certain rules to the computer to describe the composition of image formats, such as size, shape, color, etc., then painted images from the computer, thus greatly saves storage space.
Warnock and Xerox colleague Martin Newell design a JaM (John an Martin d) language, JaM definition of the 3D database description and location of various objects rules. This is the predecessor of Postscript. Postscript with a formula to describe the letters and figures. promote the development outline font. Font linear contours and curves describing each letter. Large fonts in such narrow and printing can keep the same clarity.
Warnock and his boss Chuck Renewal spent two years in the definition of a standard Print Interpress that international JaM is a variant Interpress they would like to develop into products, but the Xerox circumstances this is impossible, So they decided to start his own business providing print and publishing services.
But venture capitalists told them : “You do not know the service sector, you are the scientists, should find a technology-based products. “At the time, a very expensive laser printers, valued at 20,000 U.S. dollars, They envision workstations and printers will be integrated into a single product, after three months of trying, They found that in 1982, there were six new companies planning to do the same products, Besides, they have more money, they have once again revised business plan : to the computer graphics software sales, Postscipt Print controller design, sales Postscript font, this time they succeeded.
Adobe company in November 1982 set up, Adobe’s Warnock from naming the former home of a stream, and They Hambrecht & Quist risk funds received 250 million dollars in investment.
The usual rules of programmers to hardware development process, the hardware must first samples But Postscipt is an exception. Postscipt is very complex and advanced software, Even in today’s personal computers running speed is not particularly fast.
In the early 1980s, most software is not too complicated, Tim Paterson spent six months developing a Dos operating system, Bill Gates and Paul Allen took only six weeks to complete the Microsoft B asic, even the development of the Macintosh operating system software was used only two years, Postscipt but with a full 20 years before the basic personal sound.

“Steve Jobs’s famous telephone”

Adobe research results quickly attracted the attention of Silicon Valley. Adobe to a telephone call from the cooperation of the DEC vice president Gordon Bell, Bell said : “We DEC has spent millions of dollars on the development of laser printers, no harvest. Do you know how to do it, you should sales to the company’s authorization. ” But Warnock rejected his proposal, He wants to support the development of computer technology Postscipt Print, During that period all companies want to design their own computer.
Next is Apple’s Steve Jobs calls on the phone, Apple then introduced the 128K Macintosh computers, business expectations occupation computer market, it is a huge failure, Macintosh only two applications, For corporate users there is no appeal, Jobs hope as the original Apple II computer using the same electronic forms software to attract customers, But the Jazz Lotus, and Microsoft’s Multiplan. released too late.
Apple needs a trump card to beat competitors, Hewlett-Packard Company in 1984 introduced a laser printer, Jobs in Adobe Warnock understanding of the technical achievements, we know that this is the trump card he needs. Print technology use Postscript output results as printed output, In comparison HP Laser Print effect seems typewriter output.
Jobs on the phone Apple recommendations will be adopted their technical production laser printer, driven by Apple Computer Print, Warnock will discover that this is their real business model : software license fees charged, There is no need substantial sales force. While money may be small, but highly profitable.
Jobs spent 2.5 million dollars to buy 20% of the shares of Adobe, plus one million U.S. dollars to buy Postscipt Patent Licensing, Apple’s management believed that Jobs nuts, the money will never be recovered, but in fact they totally wrong, and This contract brings to Apple more than 10 billion in sales, In 1989 alone Apple on the sale of these shares was 89 million U.S. dollars.
Apple introduced the LaserWriter and HP’s laser printers are basically the same, just adding Postscipt control card, But Laserwriter the price of 7,000 U.S. dollars for a single computer run too high, So also have AppleTalk, Appletalk software allows Mac 32 computers to share a computer. This is basically LAN predecessor. Laserwrite the market was a huge success, Adobe companies of success.

“Apple and Microsoft said ‘no’”

As in the Palo Alto Research Center, Adobe is most concerned about the technology rather than the market. Perfect the technicalities right is more important than the market, compared with the number for customer satisfaction no less important. 1985 Apple representatives called Adobe expand Postscipt help improve Mac computer Print Screen screen speed, but Warnock refused, because he thinks it will be damaged Postscipt as an industry standard value, But we have to know that Apple is their most important clients, representing 75% of Adobe revenue sources.
Adobe the market staff is a Stanford University MBA, He and other company personnel completely different market, the promotion is not everywhere on the company’s technology and products. but stay in the office and programmers to play together, waiting for the possible call to the user. The strange thing is the company no one in his right to express their dissatisfaction. Although Adobe do not care how much money, but the gains appear to Adobe also quite good. 1988 to the staff of 400, and the average sales of 35 million dollars on average a profit of 140,000.
1988 Microsoft’s Bill – Gates to Postsript Warnock requested the source code and the word Library to introduce a version of Windows, Gates, according to his usual style hope to be free. He explained that if Microsoft Postscript technology can be expanded Adobe sales Postscip t font market, but Warnock again refused.
In September 1989, Adobe refused Apple and Microsoft announced an alliance to exchange character and publishing technology, Adobe Postscipt the confrontation. Apple paid to each of Adobe’s Postscript royalties as high as 40 million U.S. dollars. Apple’s software engineers that developed their own technical publications will be much cheaper than this. Microsoft claims will be developed similar to Postscipt technology, Apple’s new operating system 7.0 will include this technology, Adobe also announced the development of rapid counterattack ATM software support can be shown in Postscipt character.
In business competition no permanent friends or enemies, Adobe and Apple will soon also reconciled, not because Microsoft developed its own Postscipt products, Gates giving him the senior management of the letter acknowledged the failures : “As we enter the publishing software market efforts were not successful, but Adobe is no threat to us. We are not the ‘enemy’. ” Library and publishing technology to Microsoft, the profit is too small. But Adobe has finally lifted the greatest threat Postscript from the acquired more profits than the original.

“Typesetting software to become the first person”

Warnock available Postscipt is like font technology platform software, hardware manufacturers and software manufacturers are required to pay Adobe considerable royalty Postscipt printer world on the sales of about 600 million, but Warnock is not met, He also like Microsoft to the same font and graphics software applications to enter, While leading consumer-oriented users launch the software Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, a series of acquisitions acquisition of Frame Technology Corporation. Ceneva Communications Company, especially in March 1994 to 525 million U.S. dollars worth of stock acquisition storing successful companies, will be the flagship desktop publishing software incorporates come PageMaker, the application software market has yielded fruitful results, Adobe has become the world’s largest desktop publishing and electronic document and graphics software company.
1990s and the rapid development of the Internet, Adobe also quick action announced a series of business alliances and Web-based network of new products. Adobe’s Internet strategy 3, the first : “Our plan is to use our development over the past 10 years, the best typesetting software experience and technology to create and rich Web Central Habitat, now users design publications, and Web pages require different skills, Our objective is to enable the use of our products is designed for online or printed designs are the same. ” Adobe will be the second and Netscape Communicator (Netscape), and other companies to expand and improve joint out Internet version and Font Technology, in particular, vigorously promoting the Adobe PDF format (Portable Document Forma t), Warnock also joined the Netscape board. And the third leading network of Web images to promote the new standard.
Warnock that “over the Internet is a great invention of the printing but also the revolution, than in any previous experience a revolution in telephone technology, wireless broadcasting have tremendous. If you choose to live in the age of Now the history of this era is the most exciting era. ”
Now nearly 60 Warnock more like a scientist. not as a leading market several billion dollars of enterprise software leaders. He has three patented technology, access to numerous technical awards, but he is still in Adobe day, “I still urge the daily work of the reason is that I and the team can change the world. ”

“For those who think that they may engage in inappropriate technology, or do not know how the future development of the students, My advice is hope than they imagined, and with the number of ninth grade Einstein several times to fail Isaac Newton-secondary school geometry exam has twice before passed, school examination system does not really discriminant winners school students need to tell them all to the correct skeptical attitude. ”
“For high-tech industries to join the students, my suggestion is to obtain a good basic education training Writing must learn how to learn how to write on a piece of paper thinking is very important. In art, philosophy, mathematics, biology, physics, Chemistry should lay a good foundation. You can not compare the degree of adaptability and the basic quality important. degree is only a starting point, a few years after it was your work experience to replace, how you doing, you and how to cooperate with others, the ability to communicate your decision to your success. ”
“I have collected a lot of changes in human development of the first edition of books, including Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Copernicus, Kepler. I have new ideas and the development of how they have been accepted with great interest. These books taught me 1:00 : scientific contribution is very great. ”
“When the first people to reach out to you : ‘I want to shake hands with you. because you develop the product has changed my life. ‘This is you can be the greatest satisfaction. This more than any other thing gave me the motivation is big. money or other similar things are very good. But it is not a creation of Adobe reasons, money is only one measure of the operating companies you how good or bad and the market impact. ”
“My main work is to point out that the company’s development direction and opportunities, I am very concerned about what the new company created, What are the emerging technologies, What new ideas into a business plan and so on such matters. I want to master new products and the development of new technologies, I would like to know how people are using computers, the main problems lie and how to help solve technical problems, Then guidance in these product groups on the basis of product development. My most of the time in conversation and, also through e-mail to understand everything. ”
“From the first day I got to know Warnock, we have to be frank, mutual understanding, respect each other’s personal and business principles and practices. We happened to become friends. worked together for 20 years there has been no serious and not, it does not mean that we always had a unified, But if we hurt each other whose self-esteem and awareness of our friendship is more important. will put aside the personal self-esteem. ”


Adobe basic information

1997 sales revenues of 912 million yuan, 2,700 workers were “the direction of 97 products : desktop publishing, Graphics software, electronic document “97 main products : Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand, FrameMaker, PageMaker, Acrobat, PageMill, SiteMill, Premiere.
Competitors : Quark Xpress, Corel