Why can you survive the tour?

Wen/Guxiaopo

2000 has a web name for Changyou developers to do an enhanced browser based on IE Myie, the original author posted "Free development, the master can modify their own" notice after fading out of the Internet.

Three years later, a programmer named Chen Mingjie developed the MyIE2 on the basis of this product, which is the prototype of today's browser, the old browser has been over 10 years, in the history of China's internet has survived to this age of products are numbered.

However, compared with the past glory, these years the tour is not smooth. In the list of browsers published by the statistical agencies, the market share of proud tour has been counted into the "other", the user scale and 360, UC and other rivals are also stretched, even a senior colleague in the talk of Proud Tour said: "This company is still alive?"

What have you done in the past few years? Missed what? What will the future do? In the face of such a question, proud tour CEO Chen Mingjie trudging, compared to market share, industry pattern, play strategy, he is more concerned about the browser itself, after the launch of the old, he finally gave himself this stubborn found a suitable word: Craftsman spirit.

Who remembers you being the first to do it?

2003 Chen Mingjie in Myie based on the development of the MyIE2, a year later renamed Maxthon, Chinese name Proud tour, when the 1.0 version based on the Trident and Gecko kernel (Firefox uses the open source kernel).

The version already supports multiple-label browsing, and users do not have to jump between cluttered ie windows, a feature that has become almost standard for all browsers. At that time, in addition to proud tour, Tencent TT and Greenbrowser, such as a few, users in the domestic browser does not have too many choices, and Firefox and opera and so is not suitable for domestic small white users, in that Savage era proud tour soared, On the other hand IE is suffering from a variety of tools and plug-ins of the turns of the ravages.

After 2.0, the tour continued to join the floating button, fast save media files, multimedia notes, universal forms and other functions, for the users at that time is a fresh experience. Through a variety of cracked version of Windows pre-installed and Word-of-mouth dissemination, until 2009, CNZZ's data show that AO is still domestic in addition to IE market share of the largest browser.

Until now these innovations are still let Chen Mingjie proud, the same era of TT browser has been abandoned by Tencent (by the new QQ browser replaced), Greenbrowser although still in the update but almost disappeared, the world was 360 after the withdrawal of the world, the reason for survival, Chen Mingjie is due to product and technological innovation.

"China's it's pursuit of technology is not so strong, more pursuit of operations, channels and markets, if there must be a difference, we choose technology." "Chen Mingjie said.

Unfortunately, in those years, the most cliché stories of China's internet have happened-big companies have come. April 2008, 360 launched 360 secure browsers, Sogou also launched a year after the Sogou high speed browser, with security guards and input method of the two "first-class rockets" led, the two products crazy and quickly plundered a large number of market share, at the same time, the browser in the product differences are gradually wiped out.

"No business model, at best, is a promotional model." Chen Mingjie This description of the "three-stage rockets", "is to take the amount of each other, buy green vegetables with cucumbers." ”

But it has to be admitted that this is effective. Who won the Cock Silk user who took the Chinese internet, cock silk user has two kinds of remarkable characteristics: resignation and the old, the first kind of pre-installed and bundle is not exclusive, to what with what, proud to swim in the channel is obviously no above two strong, and for the second kind of like a taste of the user, proud tour too veteran.

Chen Mingjie Regret is 2006-08 years did not spend a lot of effort to do the channel, in 360 and Sogou Wind, proud of the Chinese netizens because of the acceptance of the degree of cognitive bias, missed the cultivation period for netizens.

On the other hand, the pioneering innovation of the year gradually became the standard of the major browsers, "the first" is not an advantage, because the user does not care about this, and no one will remember, such a story in China's internet community has happened too much, when everyone says they are first, users do not know who is the real first, Of course, most people don't care.

Opportunities & Mistakes: Craftsman Spirit and Craftsman thinking

If from the present result look, Chen Mingjie is a craftsman, but not generalship, he used his understanding of the product to carve the browser into an ideal appearance, but when 360 from the security guard to kill the children's hand ring, Sogou from the input method extended out of the number of the time, proud of the browser or a browser, the company also from the IPO.

There is one thing not to do, is to search, there is one thing not to do early, is moving.

Chen Mingjie also admits that search and browser are a natural combination that can be easily realizable for browsers, but not for small companies. Chen Mingjie in the consciousness of the browser is proud of the core, must give priority to ensure that the user experience, and the Sogou and 360来 said that the browser is only a step, in the above do not matter.

Another reason is Chen Mingjie that was Baidu's occupation of the search market can not contain too many search engines, in fact, before the 360 to kill in, this logic is established, but for the proud tour, 360 of the success is not replicable.

Proud to travel 2010 years to start the layout of mobile end, this is the smartphone has just emerged a year, Chen Mingjie that the previous Symbian is not a real intelligent system, focus on the user experience of the tour naturally there is no need to meddle in this market, and the iphone turned out, he realized the opportunity to move the end.

UC has been rooted in the mobile end for many years, and then QQ Browser, Baidu, 360, cheetahs, etc. are also backed by the tree to occupy a place, late start, weak resources of the proud tour seems a little awkward.

However, Chen Mingjie to these are very light, "mobile end still exist a lot of variables, proud tour certainly have the opportunity." "Chen Mingjie said," Want to do strong only two choices, one is that you rob a lot better than others, two o'clock you are not strong part of your fill quickly. ”

For the proud tour is strong products and technology, this aspect of the gap is constantly being wiped out to move forward, like a water on one side of the pool, AO swim to ensure that water faster than water, there is a chance to continue to play, and the market and channel, Chen Mingjie said is gradually enhanced.

Chen Mingjie advocating the spirit of craftsmen, from the beginning to the end he did not deviate from the original intention: the proud browser to do and do a good job, not necessarily bigger, but to achieve the ultimate. And this pursuit of the ultimate product also created a Chen Mingjie craftsman thinking-product is everything, as for other, not so important.

The worst of times: "Again TM suspended animation!" ”

One of the reasons that Microsoft unveiled Windows Vista in 2007, when it was ridiculed, was the advance of its hardware standards. In the mainstream memory or 512MB era, a very demanding 1GB memory system does not have the space to live.

The browser is also, this is a piece of hardware disjointed era.

With the rich content of Web pages, Flash, high-definition video, audio and other multimedia content began to pop, a variety of scripts are also beginning to be a large number of applications, the forum appeared more and more "more pictures kill cat" post, while the multi-label browser also trained users to open a number of tags at the same time, the browser ushered in a difficult " Years。

A long time word, the result opened a new Web page, the browser card died or crashed, this is so many blog or play the Forum of the old users of the problem, so much so that many web site launched a real-time save function.

A few times down, the user quickly ran, the angry "victim" constantly change the browser, until found that he thought will not be suspended. The most abused, of course, are the most users.

"Suspended animation is the inevitable thing in the process of Internet development." Internet content is too rich, at that time all browsers have encountered the problem of suspended animation, CPU, memory is not up to, the browser behind the bag. "To the proud tour of the suspended death charges, Chen Mingjie feel a little injustice, but has been positive improvement." Then proudly tour gradually using multithreading, multi-process approach to alleviate the problem, although in the 2.5 version of the proud tour after several versions are claimed to "solve the death of death," but from the user feedback, the problem continues to be longer than the browser manufacturers expected, and the problem is not only in the proud tour.

At present, most PC hardware level is not enough to constitute suspended animation, but due to the continuous upgrading of Internet content, as well as the open source kernel WebKit development ability is uneven, the browser is still occasional death.

The big picture: The browser is too bad

The last discussion about the value of browsers at the mobile end was the introduction of a light application platform by Baidu. Baidu Search Client is a natural browser, micro-blog has embedded browser, micro-letter has embedded browser, the major web site app to a certain extent is also their own browser, at the mobile end, should belong to the browser is gradually streaming traffic.

The main problem for this Chen Mingjie is not app streaming, but the fact that the browser itself sucks.

"The browser has not found the right approach, if the problem is solved, the so-called shunt is not a problem, traffic is back." Chen Mingjie said, but he's also looking for answers to this question.

From micro-Bo to micro-letter, all want to put the flow in their own three-acre, and Chen Mingjie that the development of technology will surpass the awareness of manufacturers, the Internet is essentially discrete open, this is the general direction.

This problem Chen Mingjie also thinking, he felt the user's needs should be in the browser one-stop through a box to get a beautiful result, but that is certainly not webapp, nor a simple search.

Currently proud to travel on the PC end and mobile end of the monthly active user total of more than 10 million, Chen Mingjie said, through the search for partitioning and navigation, proud tour and not too much capital pressure.

On the PC side of the territory has been lost, and the mobile end of the pattern is undecided, Chen Mingjie that there are opportunities for proud tour, "To do a small and beautiful company is also very good." "Chen Mingjie said.

Reporter's Notes:

Proud tour reflects a lot of entrepreneurial figure, lack of money, people, giants, thinking, big environment, every hurdle will block the next batch of entrepreneurs, for the proud tour can survive under the sinister Internet environment has been a victory.

As an angel investor said, in China, we all like to talk about success or failure, both advocate successful, despise failure, but 99% innovation is to fail. The tour is not a success, but as a pure browser company, it is demonstrating its value with focus and persistence.