![]() ![]() ![]() Clippy was spun out from Microsoft Bob, an overlay that attempted to provide assistance for every aspect of Windows 95. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the breakthrough they’d hoped it would be. They are also good at dealing with a natural environment such as the movement of objects and people in rooms, so if an interface can interact with the user to take advantage of these human talents, then you might not need a manual.” “We said that people are good at having social relations - talking with each other and interpreting cues such as facial expressions. “The question for Microsoft was how to make a computing product easier to use and fun,” wrote Byron Reeves, one of two Stanford University communications professors who had worked on the project as consultants. ![]() “Worst Inventions of All Time”īack in 1995, Microsoft had wanted to build an even-easier alternative interface for Windows, a special virtual environment with homey accouterments, like a desk or a helpful dog, that each launched corresponding applications. Over the years, many tech thinkers have weighed in on what exactly it was that made Clippy so phenomenally unpopular. But Clippy’s life offers some interesting insights into how we humans interact with our technology. As one of Microsoft’s earliest virtual assistants - and one of its most spectacular failures - the animated talking paperclip lives on in the memories of Twitter users ( especially Microsoft employees). Clippy shimmered back into view last month, a forgotten ghost from the 1990s. ![]()
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