The history of the Internet "free"

As a netizen who has been surfing the internet since 2001, I think I feel that the real internet history is more than live in the report, but live in the witness of the netizen, living in our deep memory. The internet thing happened too fast, yesterday was cheering, today has disappeared, so we keep chasing fresh, and forgetting has become the norm. In this article, I would like to look at another kind of internet history from a "free" perspective.

One, music

Music in fact in China at the beginning is also a charge, early due to storage and network broadband underdevelopment, music relies on selling tapes, CDs, television and other ways to charge users. Later, relying on the download fee, the CP (Content Provider) and SP (service provider) mixed SMS charges is a good time to download music fees, users can pay through the mode of SMS download music. Once the major suppliers in order to copyright has been in a lawsuit, can not say that China also entered the good times of itunes, can only say that the interests of the SP to the birth of a specific history of the product, in the words of Wang Shuo "looks very beautiful." Sure enough, then gradually have the big free listening to the music of pirated websites, can listen to music for free, the rise of pirated music.

The current music has been fully free, the major music provided by the use of the "safe haven" principle, so that users can listen to MP3 for free music format. So like cool, QQ music is not open to listen to overseas, only the mainland users can use, overseas is a copyright issue. Of course, Baidu is the exception, Baidu has gradually washed white, Baidu early is also a "safe haven" approach, but gradually bought the copyright.

Musicians were certainly unwilling to make their own hard-earned music free, which was their biggest source of income. Of course, the star company is not willing to free, but also have to free. The GAO were shouting to collect money from the audience, and the result was discreetly.

Why is it that the music copyright company has become so tolerant of piracy? It's easy to know if companies want to clean up piracy in the current legal environment. Obviously, in the entertainment industry competition so unprecedented, the ban of pirated music is tantamount to killing musicians, and musicians no longer rely on original music to earn income, their income more from concerts, endorsements, movies, activities and so on.

Jay Chou is a cross-era representative, is the biggest beneficiary, not only in the non-network era to make a great royalties, but also in the network CP mixed SP's early to make a greater network copyright fee (Tom had to 12 million signed Jay Chou 4 song two years copyright), and finally in the era of internet piracy successfully transformed, concert, do endorsement , making movies, attending events, etc.

In Lo Zhenyu's words, the web makes content worthless, but it makes people valuable. 2012, Forbes celebrity list synthesis first, Jay Chou, 161.3 million.

Then take stock of the major music software in the way of profit.

Shrimp: Value-added profit and offline activities.

Cool: Value added profit, game profit, window.

Watercress FM: Value-added profit, midway advertising.

QQ Music: Value-added profit.

Sogou Music Box (the project has been basically stopped by Sogou): not profitable.

Baidu Music (acquisition of thousands of listening and has purchased copyright): No outstanding means of making money.

Second, the film

When the internet was disconnected from the modem era, when it entered the broadband era, it meant that broadband had matured, and even pirated copies of CDs began to wane. We watch movies at home and have four different ways to get movie resources. The first is to go to the video store to rent or buy a genuine CD-ROM, the second is to go to the video store or computer city and other places to buy pirated CDs, the third is online pay to watch movies, the fourth is to go online under pirated movies. The top three charges, the last one is free and the user is the fastest growing trend. The most common format for downloading movies is three kinds, Rmvb,rm,avi, and the most common download and today is the same as the direct chain, BT, like links, the most commonly used tools have two, the Internet Express, Thunderbolt. Here are three ways to talk about movie free.

1, the rise of the internet's missing, player and local online video

The online pay-for-watch model has emerged in the broadband era, with the most famous China Telecom's interconnected sky being charged online. The charging policy is monthly, paying subscribers can watch all kinds of movies on the website.

Now looking back at the interconnection of the sky fee policy is undoubtedly very failure, the following is intended to discuss the causes of failure and also talk about the history of the player.

First, the lack of payment habits for such products. Although the Netizen has already matured to the fictitious service payment, for example QQ show, game, anti-virus software and so on recharge. But this kind of movie charge's brand-new mode, does not have the user foundation not to say, the most crucial is does not grasp the user the real pain point, the pain to pay for the degree.

Second, CD piracy and internet piracy is also the pressure on charges, at this time the pirated music has been formed on the Internet scale, and the film will also be affected by the music.

Of course, it is the Internet users crazy downloading pirated movies at the same time, the achievements of a number of domestic excellent video playback software. While the RealPlayer can play the RMVB format of the audio and video files, but its complexity and heavy load of the user's computer, and does not support other formats, at that time in other small video format scuffle, such as the 3gp\mpg\mov\avi\asf\wmv\flv ...... At that time to see other formats there are only two ways, either to download a special playback software, or a format converter, but the format converter is to charge, but also need to crack, and the use of cracked software may also be poisoned to make the computer into a broiler.

So users want a kill all video format of the player, so the Storm audio and video emerged. Storm audio and video swept all formats, won the netizens like.

Looking back at the Storm audio and video is the biggest beneficiary, followed by the shooter AV, QQ audio and video, as well as thunder to see from behind. And then, the Storm audio and video and Thunderbolt look at the rapid transformation cost of online players, to achieve great success.

At the same time the death of a pioneer Jinshan shadow player, Hero Super Jie Ba, RealPlayer. In my memory, each purchase of pirated CDs will be installed by default of a Kingsoft player or hero Super player, has become the past.

Third, browser-side is not adapted. Netizens were still ignorant, at home to see movies are to the video store to rent or buy CDs, bought a disc has been accustomed to watch on the VCD, for the film still has a "carrier" plot, download the film rmvb file is like "CD-ROM", local players like "VCD", A computer is like a TV set. In other words, the netizens were unable to accept the film from the carrier in the psychological sense, still need a local player to feel the movie's existence psychologically. So at that time, it was very difficult to watch this rather avant-garde pattern on the browser's opposite-ends. Perhaps the internet star if the download fee, and then develop their own player, is another scene, of course, all is only if.

This "Carrier" episode is also about the Chinese Internet online video for many years, which is why the client online video software can dominate the market, not the browser-side online video can dominate the video. At that time, the success of the PPLive (now renamed PPLive), PPS, popular, storm audio and video such as local online film playback software rise.

Of course this online playback software client dominated the era with the potato, Youku, cool 6 and so on a series of online video came to an end. And the pplive are also starting to shift toward the browser side.

2, rising from the grey area of the fast-sowing

In order to get free movies, netizens used up the means. Ordinary movies are easy to download, but those that are more special, such as adult videos, are cumbersome to download. Previously these films only need to go to the adult stores or small stalls to buy it, but to the internet in the big free era, this demand will naturally be more explosive growth. Because the choice of adult film and the way to choose ordinary movies are very different, adult film is a kind of no purpose selection, and the more the better.

The huge market demand for free human film has made a large number of pornographic websites and famous Qvod.

Before the birth of the fast-seeding, want to see the film students are need to download the film to watch, waiting for a long time, and fast-sowing is the use of peer-to-peer principle to achieve online playback, so that the user's waiting time greatly reduced.

Fast seeding is such a start, the webmaster in their own site put a variety of films, and then only with the fast broadcast exclusive playback and download. In this way, the use of SEO to occupy the rankings of Google and Baidu, when users search for a variety of pornographic keywords can be found in relation to the fast-seeding site, and then the rapid seeding is also natural to the promotion, and then with the webmaster to be divided.

Until today, a lot of male students can smile at the mention of fast sowing.

3, free online movie big Times

Today we want to see any film is basically free, except for the individual too old to find or is in the movie theaters. The major video sites have been bought for users of the copyright, users want to see at any time to see, see is genuine no longer any moral guilt. Video sites are also profitable through front-end ads.

Kelly in the "technology element" in the Chinese film market, the most feasible movie to profit in China is the cinema, because the cinema offers a completely different experience from the family.

So I'm thinking about the fact that today's movies are basically free, and that it's important to find a new profit model in addition to big data ads. Lo Zhenyu once told a story, a movie theater to achieve small Chang, in the small Chang inside the special play some old movies, and the audience only two elderly people. This is a pretty good profit model.

In this good times, we can easily see free authentic movies, the film has become free, but the human nature has not changed, so can do the experience of the economy should be more. What is the future of the film industry that will be free to users? What kind of vigor can the filmmaker produce?

Three, game

In fact, talk about the game free, want to divide two roads. All the way is a stand-alone game, all the way is the network game.

1, single game

Speaking of stand-alone games, it can only be said to be heartache. There was an article called "who destroyed the domestic stand-alone game-piracy?" The piracy of the rampant destruction of domestic stand-alone, have to let people on a lot of excellent domestic stand-alone games feel sorry.

To say that the single game and free have any relationship, it really does not matter, can only say that single game and piracy have a great relationship. See this picture below to know why all the stand-alone games in China want to charge will return empty-handed.

When the Internet is not yet popular, pirated games have been rampant, five yuan a game CD can buy a copy of the game. At that time in the country's major computer city selling the hottest is not the computer, but the game CD-ROM.

Recall 2002 that time I play games or quite cherish, after all, five yuan money for me this student is not a small amount, pick a good game is like picking a home to see the VCD, are very carefully selected. But to the Internet broadband era is not the same, download station on the birth of a man named Renchongyi, VERYCD, will be a variety of foreign fee games released to the VERYCD free of charge, so that we download a large number of users of free games. In order to commemorate R Big, some netizens wrote an article called "Big Network legend." R Big ".

When I can download to a variety of games, tired of feeling also arises spontaneously, even customs clearance is too troublesome, directly open can cheat game memory code modifier, modify the game key data all the way through the end. Suddenly feel the fun of stand-alone game also completely disappeared.

Now looking back on these things, pirated games allow us to enjoy the game team's elaborate games for free, but it is indeed a frustrating thing to develop a game where the business is not making money. To say that the original sin, our generation of netizens indeed with original sin was born. But it is the original sin that is forcing the future of the game to find a new and more prosperous business model, it may be like I said "woe to the well-being of the" bar.

2, online games

About online games free, to talk about is actually about RPG game class time free.

The early days of the network game "blood Legend" is followed by the consumption of time points of the type of charge, Shanda and point card supplier after the break up from the establishment of the Internet café-style sales channels, achieved greater success than before, and in the grand heyday, "legend" source from the Italian server leaked, with these codes, Many people start to build the legend, and the biggest difference is that time is not charged, relying on selling experience and grade fees.

So there is a misunderstanding, many people think is Shi Yuzhu's "journey" opened up the RPG online game free time of the precedent, in fact, is not, but it has been a precedent. It is only in the ground, but not on the stage, but it is a very successful mode of charging for equipment.

Shi Yuzhu "Journey" in the business model of success, more is to achieve the success of the model.

Therefore, prop Charge mode of pedigree is not "journey", but with the vast grassroots of the force to build up the model is the originator, this is the whole business has abandoned the real history.

Now in China, in addition to the well-known "World of Warcraft" "Dream West Tour" "Dahua Tour" series, such as a few still in hot games, other games have all the time free. and free game design is very consistent with the weakness of human nature, you think no money, but as long as you fall into, you will pay, Amoy money may be more. Some people have counted a NetEase's "world" game in which a professional wants all the top equipment needs 10 million yuan to obtain.

Iv. Security

When it comes to safe and free, the biggest protagonist is undoubtedly 360. Here's the story of 360.

1, against IE plug-in 360 rise, Zhou Fushenne bucket

The IE plug-in of the year, all is the use of special illegal means installed to the user's browser things, means to download a certain software when you bundle installation, watching pornographic sites to install, normal browsing of the horse's Web page to install, QQ virus mass friend message installation, as a direct remote installation of chickens. The malicious features of these plug-ins are to allow users to open the Web page slowly, at any time easy to open pornographic ads web pages, viruses, trojans and so on.

Must have been together through that time the netizen must have the common painful memory.

And in the Qihoo Fu made a 360, start on these plug-ins. Yes, this fu is the fu of Jinshan now.

The following are the contents of the Lin Army's 15 years of agitation:

"Community search and life search, and many of the Zhou 祎 high expectations of the business are not the expected, on the contrary, Fu led by the 360 security guards in the absence of attention and attention in the quietly rising, and in 2006 that Zhou initiative provoked by the mouth of the war quickly big, become the main business of Qihoo. However, with the 360 security guards in the interior status of Qihoo prominent, as the founder of the Fu but the status of embarrassment, after many internal interventions-style confrontation, Fu began to retreat ...

Through this paragraph we also understand the later well-known story, 360 before the listing, Zhou request to 1 yuan to recover fu hands of the odd Tiger shares things. Enough to be seen to the degree of the two people.

Then look back Zhou Fu this matter, in fact, Fu for the security software industry opened a good head, laid the first development direction of Qihoo company, so that only then 360 in the security industry so high status. In other words, there is no Fu 360, and it is not possible to have 360 listed today. Leave 360 of Fu, in 360 before the listing was asked to 1 yuan to buy back the odd tiger shares of Fu, each thought of these don't know how to think. This may be fu forever of pain, is also his Golden Hill CEO and 360 of the reasons for the rival.

But then again, if 360 does not have Zhou can do like today? If it is FU led 360 to continue to go on is also able to achieve the point of listing? All this will no longer have the answer, the answer floated in the wind, here is the jungle, the King defeated is the law.

Until today Zhou Fu two people still in the tangle, we see Zhou place there are fu. See Cheng of the "Fu on the Zhou" strategy.

2,windows to optimize the Masters ' misses

In fact, 360 did one thing, and this is the "Master of Windows Optimization" and "Super Rabbit" missed the biggest opportunity, the focus on Windows optimization software only "Windows Master" and "Super Rabbit" favorite users, with a huge installed capacity. And they are able to carry out full control of the computer, to prevent the lock IE home page, network acceleration, repair the registry, clean up the physical memory and so on. But they did not go seriously, clean IE plug-in this matter.

Now analyze the failures of Windows optimization gurus, until 2006 Windows optimization Gurus still remain in a stand-alone era, which is to do computer-accelerated services around computers, while the profit model is to get more advanced services through charges. Typical software thinking! It is doomed to failure in the network age. In the network era, the most users are not only crazy computer, and the network derived from the problem, how to do a good job of network security is the most important, ie plug-ins and Backdoor Trojan is the biggest key.

The first to be 360 swallowed market is the Windows Optimization masters of the computer optimization market, 360 only through a small function of cleaning plug-ins to obtain a large number of users, and then 360 will expand itself into a full range of computer stewards, the Windows optimization Master of the original features of the integration in, and Windows optimization gurus quickly lost their market after the advent of 360.

3, Free Antivirus

360 and each of the major anti-virus software has had a honeymoon period, to Kaspersky, for example, once used 360 of users can obtain a free Kaspersky Activation code, free use of half a year. and 360 official website also vigorously promote each big anti-virus software, with each big anti-virus software has had very good cooperation.

360 and anti-virus software cooperation, very good publicity of their own, and anti-virus software is also a good publicity. But there is no permanent enemy in business, no forever friend, only eternal interest. After that is everyone knows 360 launch free anti-virus, blood industry. Jiangmin, Rising, Norton, Kaspersky and other anti-virus software no longer the same.

Why 360 to launch free antivirus? From the user's point of view, of course, but not early. Free game time is because the game players want to make more money from the game, no one in the business will be in vain for you. 360 is not possible through free anti-virus to obtain income, then why exactly 360 to be free?

From the later effects, we see the clue. 3,601 Dan Free, it means with all anti-virus software business as the enemy, is bound to set off a huge wave of public opinion, and 360 stand in the absolute favorable side of public opinion will win, more users will have to turn to 360.

When 360 accumulated so many users, 360 also finally ushered in its free business model, channel diversion, navigation, search, games and so on, this free business model and QQ a bit like.

Anyway, 360 has changed China's internet history.

About the free history of the Internet, perhaps everyone has a different memory, because the internet things come and go too fast, we have not had time to see has disappeared, no one for them to record, leaving only a bunch of Stale portal newsletter. The disappearance of things in reality is already very vague, and the disappearance of things on the internet is even more confusing, so that people doubt whether existence.

Similarly, after the wheel of history, some of today's booming Internet products may be doomed to disappear in the future. These internet creatures and our lives compared to the life of the short-lived more than, toward the bacteria do not know the moon, I oratoria do not know the spring and autumn, they come and go, they ephemeral.