Wang Jiangmin, founder and chairman of Beijing Jiangmin New Science & Technology Co, previously one of the largest anti-virus software providers in China. [China Daily]
BEIJING - Wang Jiangmin, an anti-virus software guru at Zhongguancun in Beijing, China's "Silicon Valley", died of a heart attack at age 59 last Saturday, leaving behind both sorrow and speculation in his industry.Wang started work as a self-made "computer doctor" after Chinese media first reported in 1989 that computers could break down due to Web-based viruses. 
As the founder and chairman of Beijing Jiangmin New Science & Technology Co, one of the largest anti-virus software providers in China, many Chinese IT insiders regard his death as a great loss for the industry as the disabled businessman contributed his life to the development of Chinese-language, anti-virus software.
Born in 1951 in Shanghai, Wang suffered from polio when he was three years old and the disease left him disabled. After that he seldom went out, watching other kids playing outside his window.
He previously expressed his appreciation for the experience of his youth as he learned to sit for long periods of time doing mundane work as a software developer.
A middle-school graduate in 1971, the next two decades of his life had nothing to do with computers. He worked at an optical instrument firm in Yantai, Shandong province.
With no formal education, the self-taught Wang obtained over 20 engineering and optics patents over a 20-year period.
Wang's first contact with computers was in 1989 when his company bought an IBM mainframe. At that time computers were luxury items for most Chinese, and Wang fell in love with the computing devices immediately.
IT insiders said that Wang was very talented at computing, and bought one of China's first computers called the "Zhonghua", which required a rudimentary understanding of programming.
As Wang explored the secrets of his computer, he found that it occasionally crashed while running some programs.
After reading news about computer viruses, the curious Wang dedicated all his time to finding ways to protect his and other people's computers.
In 1994, Wang launched China's first professional anti-virus software, KV100.
In 1996 he established Beijing Jiangmin New Science & Technology Co.
This was a time when many IT engineers, investors and other entrepreneurs were digging for gold at China's emerging "Silicon Valley" in Beijing's Zhongguancun.
Anti-virus software proved profitable for Wang, who was previously quoted as saying he made over 1.5 million yuan in his first week after he settled in Zhongguancun.
He was a pioneer in China's IT industry and an advocate for intellectual property rights - often frustrated at seeing many Zhongguancun vendors selling pirated versions of his software.
At one point Wang put a malicious code into Jiangmin company's upgrades so when users loaded the pirated software, all the data in their computers would be frozen.
This ploy cost Wang a fine of 3,000 yuan due to his company's deliberate insertion of malicious data into software. But some believed it was a smart and effective way of protecting his interests, especially when the market was in its infancy.
Wang defended his actions by saying the move was a warning to pirates and a reminder to the government to protect software developers.
In 2003, Jiangmin began facing competition from companies like Kingsoft and Rising, after dominating the anti-virus software market for several years.
The company took another hit in 2008 when rival provider Qihoo announced their 360 anti-virus software was free to all users.
To date, Jiangmin's market share has shrunken to about 10 percent from 90 percent previously. Latecomer Rising currently controls over 40 percent of the market in China.
IT insiders said Wang was a hero in his own time during the formation of the Chinese IT industry in the 1980s and early 1990s.
However, some of his products are now outdated since the market sees entry of many new and innovative products every day.
Regardless, Wang is still one of the most important and legendary figures in the history of China's anti-virus software, they said.
Jiangmin New Science & Technology Co is 65 percent owned by Wang Ying, the son of Wang's first ex-wife and 35 percent owned by Wang's second ex-wife, Gao Ning.
