15 Years of Microsoft Bob

harrymcc writes "Microsoft Bob — still synonymous in the tech industry with 'embarrassing flop' — shipped fifteen years ago this week, on March 31st, 1995. When the Windows interface featuring animated cartoon helpers was announced, it was hyped to the heavens and briefly accepted as a breakthrough that showed where software was going. Instead, dismal reviews and poor sales killed it after only a year on the market. At Technologizer, we're marking the anniversary with a complete look at how it came to be and why it failed so resoundingly — and how Microsoft tried again with Office's 'Clippy' and other attempts to revive the basic idea."

Comments

Quotes?

[globalsnake]

So anyone no if the quote is by the local handlers, or is it the torture of the day? Makes you feel nice and warm inside these saves get paid to torture american citizens.

Spelling nazi strikes again...

[BrokenHalo]

Since this thread is "Idle":

The correct spelling is "minuscule".

Bob and Slashdot have a lot in common

[93 Escort Wagon]

I'm reading through this thread, and in a couple instances wanted to read an abbreviated item. Now it used to be that clicking on those items just expanded them - pretty much what anyone would expect. Well, the Slashdot Powers That Be have apparently decided that, no, it makes more sense to take you to a new page that just includes that small thread segment in it. If you want to go on reading the rest of the thread, you have to go back to the previous page.

Who in their right mind would think this is a good default to impose on people? It doesn't matter if you can turn it off - why is an annoying new behavior now the default?

Seriously, did some of you guys work for Microsoft in the mid 1990s? Cuz I'm seeing about the same level of common sense being applied here as was shown by the Bob development team...