Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Secret Origins of Microsoft Office's Clippy

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the melinda-has-a-lot-to-answer-for dept.

Harry writes "Most folks think that Microsoft Office's Clippy, Microsoft Bob, and Windows XP's Search Assistant dog were perverse jokes — but a dozen years' worth of patent filings shows that Microsoft took the concept of animated software 'helpers' really, really seriously, even long after everyone else realized it was a bad idea. And the drawings those patents contain are weirdly fascinating." The article, a slide show really, spreads over 15 pages.

1 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The Weirding Way by snspdaarf · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Yeah, well, if it ain't on YouTube, it didn't happen. Thanks for playing.

    --
    Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!