From the quick release of WebQQ by 360 after Tencent announced incompatibility, it can be seen that 360 was mentally prepared.
Tencent had not anticipated this move of WebQQ.
However, Tencent made a firm decision and promptly shut down its own business, WebQQ, within tens of minutes. This was clearly an urgent decision made by Pony Ma.
I believe that this reaction speed should have exceeded the expectations of 360 and Hongyi Zhou.
But Hongyi Zhou reacted quickly, quickly showing weakness, and then playing the emotional card.
Tencent, you want users to uninstall me, so I will ask users to stop using you...
The hired guns naturally went all out, but whether through objective analysis and judgment, or by referencing feedback from users on several niche forums I often visit (all acquaintances, no hired guns), it can be seen that 360 has received sufficient moral support.
Chinese people are willing to see strong people stumble, especially in cases like this where ordinary people cannot fully understand the situation.
Users can certainly uninstall QQ; why not? If they find they cannot live without QQ a few days later, they can always reinstall it. Tencent won't possibly monitor if there is 360 on my machine and then block QQ accounts, right?! The requirement by QQ for users not to use 360 is an irreversible choice, requiring users to make up their minds. However, 360's request for users to stop using QQ is reversible, so users might as well try it...
If 360 plays the emotional card well, and in the next three days, a large number, a very large number of users uninstall or suspend the use of QQ, causing the online numbers of QQ to drop by 10-30%, then it would be questionable whether Tencent would still have the same determination to "spare no expense" at that time.
For Tencent, this gamble is big. If users do not uninstall more than half of 360 by tonight to tomorrow night, it can be said that Tencent has not achieved its strategic goal.
...
In any war, from before it breaks out, one should think about how to end it.
Now, I really cannot judge what 360 and Tencent expect regarding the end of this war.
Do they want the other side to die? It seems difficult, but looking at it now, it also seems not impossible.
Tencent has already released its peace terms via its official Weibo:
Tencent Company announces three reconciliation conditions: 1. 360 must complete the uninstallation of QQ Guard and the Privacy Protector that maliciously defames Tencent on all clients; 2. 360 must immediately stop intercepting Tencent programs and publicly commit to not intercepting Tencent programs in the future; 3. 360 must publicly apologize to Tencent and compensate for losses.
However, 360 will definitely not directly agree to these conditions - wouldn't that be admitting wrongdoing? 360 has already withdrawn QQ Guard, but the installation packages that have already been distributed cannot be completely deleted. Meanwhile, 360 can naturally publish related codes through third-party channels, allowing private individuals or teams to develop products similar to QQ Guard under personal names. Apologizing seems difficult for Hongyi Zhou, and compensating for losses is a matter of bargaining, which is not a big deal for both companies.
More importantly, if a quick reconciliation occurs and 360 still exists with its installed base intact, 360 will still be a threat to QQ tomorrow. What does QQ gain from such a reconciliation?
At the same time, if the reconciliation agreement imposes no restrictions on QQ, things like QQ Computer Manager, QQ Doctor, or future security assistants, guards, or special police will eventually be something that could spell the end for 360. If you force Hongyi Zhou to choose between death and life imprisonment, he probably won't behave so obediently, right?
It appears that reconciliation is the direction both sides need to work towards, but before reconciliation, who can afford the losses during this war process?