Chapter 46 BASIC Interpreter

"I don't think I'm lost. I know the way back to Seattle, but I really don't know where this is. I was just pulled over here by the police."

Carter smiled, regardless of whether the Microsoft in front of him was the future Microsoft or not, it didn't prevent Carter from putting on a brilliant, refreshing smile in front of others.

"Ha, I know, that blue Mustang GT! I saw you just breeze past me like a gust of wind, while I was just going downstairs to buy a Coke."

"I hope my wake didn't spill your Coke."

Carter almost wanted to facepalm, the first meeting was too awkward. This sense of embarrassment lasted less than a second, and Carter changed the subject.

"I'm Carter Black. As an apology, can I offer you a Coke? I was just about to go to the supermarket to buy some Coke."

Actually, I'd prefer a bottle of regular mineral water.

But to cater to the geek's preferences and conveniently inquire about the details of this small company, Carter hypocritically changed his target.

"Ah, okay. No, I mean, you don't need to apologize. Actually, you weren't driving too fast. Although I don't like street racing, I like watching racing movies. You drove much slower than those drivers in the movies, so it didn't bother me!"

The chubby guy trotted up to Carter, his small eyes on his chubby face seemed to be attracted by either the Coke or the excitement of the race, appearing especially bright. Let it be, what's the use of arguing with this tech guy?!

"Hello Carter, I'm Paul, Paul Allen. You said you were going back to Seattle, but how come I've never seen you before? Oh, I'm a local in Seattle, I've been here since I was a kid. Since you seem to be about my age, I wonder if we were classmates or something."

"That would probably disappoint you. I'm from Georgia. This trip to Seattle... well, it's my first cross-country road trip. I hope to travel across the United States before entering college. And after college, or after graduation, I plan to travel around the world!"

To be labeled as having gone to the wrong place is something Carter would never admit. From today on, he's a brave road traveler, and coming to Washington is part of his plan, definitely not a mistake.

"Wow! Brother, that's so cool. I've only been to Boston at the furthest. And you're already starting a cross-country trip. Wait, did you just say before entering college? Are you still in high school?!"

As Paul spoke, he suddenly seemed to be choked, staring at Carter in amazement. The Carter in front of him was wearing a green polo shirt, khaki casual pants, and a pair of casual leather shoes with breathable holes, with bright blonde hair brushed back casually. With this appearance, you're telling me you're still in high school?!

"Yeah, any problem? Can't high school students have a driver's license?"

Carter nodded in confusion. He could tell that Paul wasn't much older than him. But he must be in his twenties, which should be only a bit older than him, yet he's already surprised?

"That's not the problem. You're just... too much of a problem! Oh my god, you're almost ten years younger than me, and you, you, where do you get the money to play like this, and that cool sports car. Brother, are you the heir to some big company?"

Pointing at Carter, Paul's face was full of disbelief. Having dropped out of college and gone to work in Boston, then convincing his good friend and himself to start a company here. While he made some money, he didn't feel like he was doing too bad. But compared to Carter in front of him, Paul admitted he felt a bit sour, that sports car, he wanted one too!

"No, my money isn't from my family. That Mustang actually belonged to my father, but he passed away, so the car belongs to me now. Do you want Coke or Pepsi?"

Entering the supermarket, Carter opened the drink fridge filled with beverages, speaking while asking.

"Pepsi! Thanks, and sorry to trouble you, can you grab one more bottle for me? I have a friend at the company, I'll get him one too, I'll pay for this one."

Just a bottle of Coke, Carter took out three bottles, not even hinting at Paul to pay. As they approached the counter to pay, Paul kept talking beside him.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't know your father had passed away. I thought you were just rich, so I was generous to you. Because I work for a living, it seems like I can't afford such a nice car."

"No worries, it's all in the past. I also earned money when I was in school. I made a killing in the New York stock market last month. Let's go, I've already paid, no need to pay me back."

Handing two bottles of Coke to Paul, Carter smiled. The situation at hand was somewhat strange; although Paul was about ten years older than Carter, the pace was almost entirely dictated by Carter.

As they walked out of the supermarket, Paul, taking the Coke handed to him by Carter, asked a rather surprising question:

"Thanks. By the way, if you don't mind my asking, how much did you make in the stock market?"

In the United States, or even worldwide, personal income is a very sensitive and private matter. If someone tells you their real income, it's embarrassing if it's low and it's embarrassing if it's high, so directly refusing to answer is the best for both parties. It can be said that a person with normal emotional intelligence wouldn't ask such a question.

Carter knew that Paul's question, as a tech guy, might not have any ill intentions, just curiosity. But the problem is, aren't you just asking for embarrassment?

"Uh, I made a few hundred thousand."

Carter answered vaguely. The number wasn't exaggerated, nor did he refuse to answer, preserving face. But surprisingly, this number, which Carter considered to be modest, still made Paul exclaim repeatedly.

"A few hundred thousand!! My god, we can't even collect that much money from all those users who use our BASIC interpreter for free!"

"Wait, Paul, what did you just say? What interpreter?"

Carter didn't understand the history of PCs, and his knowledge of operating systems was very limited, such as Windows, DOS, and so on. He hadn't heard of this BASIC, but the word 'interpreter' sounded somewhat like the decoders commonly used in software. When he heard this word, Carter's ears pricked up sensitively.

"BASIC interpreter. BASIC stands for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, which is a computer language. It's what we use when we want the computer to do something. Without it, if you tell the computer, 'Hey buddy, help me calculate what 1+1 equals,' it won't understand. You have to use the BASIC language to translate what you want the computer to do into something the machine can understand."

When it came to his professional field, Paul, like many future programmers, couldn't stop talking. But fortunately, what he said, Carter could understand. This BASIC is similar to C language, right?

"But now there are too many microcomputers, and each company's language writing logic and habits are different. It's common for a program that runs on one computer to not work on another. And what we do with the interpreter can solve this problem. You can think of it as a translator. It translates what would originally be unintelligible to each other between two computers into instructions they can both understand. In this field, we're the best!"