Microsoft Bob | The World's Weirdest Product
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- Опубліковано 2 бер 2024
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Microsoft Bob was an addon for Windows released in 1995, intended to make the computer easier to use. However, the product's attempts completely went south, and Bob has since earned a strange, almost forgotten reputation within the tech space.
Despite this legacy, Microsoft Bob has proven to be, indirectly, quite influential. Not only has it provided us many Windows features that we still take for granted today (Rover the Dog, Comic Sans, just to name a few!), but it even foreshadowed and predicted many aspects of a very prominent part of the industry that is still rapidly growing today.
So, what's the full story to this strange product?
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Hi Sir Big Fan Pls Reply
Anyone Before 10 likes ( like me )
my fav no is 23 X 3
No Reply So Heart?
Squarespace's abuse team needs to get their act together.
"instead of going to the calendar app, searching for it etc etc, you could just click on the calendar on the wall" bro that's fucking genius
you have this on your phone .. or at least on most of them you can just tap on the clock or date and open the app
or at least some variation of it
Yeah, but it was 1995. That WAS genius. And still effective.@@patrickrauh996
If I'm ever put in charge of a major corporation, I'm going to make the entire company use Microsoft Bob just to fuck with them.
Microsoft Bob the Nerd Emoji.
🤓
Microsoft Bob should become a meme
@@AliciaInNevadahe isn't? Ferb I know what we're gonna do today!
🤓
B🤓b
i was OBSESSED. with microsoft bob as a kid. I LOVED it. i was actually REALLY upset when my dad updated the OS to Windows 98 and i lost my Microsoft Bob access. Microsoft Bob baby please come back to me i miss you :(
Ahaha, I'm with you. Bob was incredible when I was a kid. It was a horrible way to run a computer, but my kid brain didn't care.
First genuine fan of bob i've met. But yknow what? Glad you liked it, because I sure didn't
@@gorfelbtThere are literally tens of us out there! Man I absolutely loved MS Bob as a kid, I remember it had loads of customisation options for the "house" so I'd spend as much time basically playing 1995 Sims as I did actually using it as an actual computer. To be honest it probably did contibute a lot to me getting into computers young.
MSBOB has a cult following now lol
Comic Sans has a bit of an unfair reputation, it seems. Sure, we can all agree that it might not be the "most appealing" font out there, but its been mentioned many times that it's quite literally one of the fonts with highest legibility, even for people with dyslexia.
"Comic Sans is the font of the Gods." - Moses, probably
It's good for comics.
@@lutello3012no fucking way!!!! Revolutionary
@@onewhowaits8046 Really depends on how you see that, though. Considering what I mentioned about Comic Sans being among the most legible fonts available and for free, I wouldn't mind much it being used for that stuff, specially if it can actually play a role on how legible a report of that seriousness can be and making sure no details get lost or distorted. Sure, a report written in that kind of font might not seem "serious", and this might just be my opinion, but it's one of those instances where functionality is preferred over something that looks just "good" and nothing else.
I'd honestly be more concerned about other things like the wording used for a report or other "serious" documents. That's where you can tell more accurately how serious the whole deal actually is.
@@onewhowaits8046 Really depends on how you see that, though. Considering what I mentioned about Comic Sans being among the most legible fonts available and for free, I wouldn't mind much it being used for that stuff, specially if it can actually play a role on how legible a report of that seriousness can be and making sure no details get lost or distorted. Sure, a report written in that kind of font might not seem "serious", and this might just be my opinion, but it's one of those instances where functionality is preferred over something that looks just "good" and nothing else.
I'd honestly be more concerned about other things like the wording used for a report or other "serious" documents. That's where you can tell more accurately how serious the whole deal actually is.
By the way fun fact Rover would end up showing up on Windows XP when you're searching for files
Thank you LGR
THAT'S why I recognised him! I didn't remember the program itself at all (my family's first computer had Win95 if MSBob was before that) but "that dog looks kinda familiar"
No shit sherlock.
I don't know who or what a Microsoft Bob is, but I'd trust him with my life.
Here's the funniest thing: Microsoft Bob was included in one of the *game* warez CDs I had as a kid, and thought "wait, is this even a game?" and got confused
I thought the funniest thing was that Bill Gates' future ex-wife was in charge of this train wreck. Also, the same team went on to create Clippy, so the concept refused to die, or rather, Bill refused to kill it for some reason.
can we just agree that the artstyle of microsoft bob is really cool? i personally love it, its blockiness, oldschool but interesting use of color. and the animations are super cute.
Not gonna lie. I kinda want the cartoony, Mario Paint meets Edutainment aesthetic of Microsoft B🤓b back.
The typeface Comic Sans was made during Microsoft Bob's development but it wasn't used anywhere in the program for unknown reasons, but it was probably cut due to time and budget constraints.
My dear foreign friend. You know I'm from Poland. I learned about Microsoft Bob from a local film about the History of Windows. I never used it because of the time I started using a computer with Windows XP. Speaking of Windows XP, it will be 10 years on April 8, 2024, since it passed away to the computer beyond on April 8, 2014.
Go to secretary's house (DO NOT TELL WIFE)
Bill Clinton was a Microsoft Bob user confirmed. (Yes, I know Lewinsky was an intern not a secretary but still)
Microsoft BOB is my favorite niche ever, I’m so excited about this video I clicked that notif right away, more people need to know about this!
Omg 3 NationSquid videos in 1 week? Weve been blessed
You've been uploading so much recently! Thank you so much! :D Your videos are incredibly comforting to watch
I have such fond memories of this program, it was on the first computer my parents bought, I treated it very much like a game. I remember my parents pawning that computer and getting another after some time, but the program was not on that one, it was very unfortunate, sad really. I know now that it was really not that great, lackluster, but as a kid it really was like living in a virtual world even though most of the features were out of my limited skill or abilities. Later I found a copy of The Journeyman Project Turbo at a yard sale, and it really hit me in a lot of the same ways, today everything seems so simplistic in nature but those were moments I will never forget, the two defining experiences of my introduction to computers. Thank you for making this video, love the nostalgia, Microsoft Bob will always take me back to childhood.
I had so much fun with Microsoft Bob as a kid. We'd spend hours just building houses and placing furniture. It was like some Windows 95 version of Animal Crossing.
A few years later I attempted to use Bob for its intended purpose, as an alternate desktop, but discovered its limitations pretty quickly:
1. There was no password security. If you guessed your password wrong a couple times, the program would just... let you pick a new one.
2. Bob was unable to launch programs that changed the screen resolution, which meant that you couldn't place shortcuts to many later computer games into it.
literally just searched your channel after like a year of not watching
The story of Microsoft B🤓B
My cousin and I used to love making rooms on this thing in the mid-90s. We basically just used it as a doll house and acted as interior decorators. I miss it.
It feels like this could've been very successful if it was marketed towards kids as an introduction to computers in that era! Kids computing grew into a huge industry.
Imagine seeing a 10 year old kid turning on a computer running Microsoft Bob in the late 90s to play Doom. That would have been wild.
I would say that rather than foreshadowing the current tech micosoft bob directly inspired the next design trend of "skeuomorphism", with both of them sharing the "real life objects representing digital once" premise it feels to me like skeuomorphism was the true answer to the issue of how to introduce people to computers.
i was thinking this the whole time. bob was really just skeuomorphism taken to the extreme. i did love the video, but i thought it was kind of a reach to say that bob was just an old version of ar. i mean, old gui stuff did use skeuomorphism, but it definitely evolved from then to the mid-2010s to make the objects even more literal and realistic
Bob was... Weird...
But in a uniquely creative way.
@@kootunesscrewy true
I used to mess around with Microsoft Bob all the time on my grandma's Gateway 2000 Windows 98 computer when I was little! I loved it so much, and was so sad when she got rid of it.
Interesting to see a video on Microsoft Bob that doesn't mention skeuomorphism. (The design concept that interfaces should resemble their physical counterparts) The clip art look and almost condescending tone really remind me of Microsoft Kids' Fine Artist, Creative Writer, etc. which probably didn't help sell it as a mature product at the time. Today people who came up with programs like Kid Pix and Mario Paint can appreciate the charm
When I found out that this existed as a kid I was so confused why people considered it to be bad because I thought it looked so cool.
the file type used for the characters in microsoft bob was actually used later in microsoft office 97 where the office assistants were first introduced and you can even take the character files from microsoft bob and drop them into office 97 to use as assistants
Yes! This is exactly what I did, and I've never heard anyone else mention it! I still use Office 97 on a Windows 8.1 PC. (It runs perfectly fine in compatibility mode.) I have all the original Assistants plus the Bob characters in Office. I also have a Windows 2000 laptop for running old sentimental programs, including Microsoft Bob.
Fantastic timing. Love listening to your videos before bed.
A failure is also a result. Other attempts to make computers easier to use is the FSN from SGI. A traditional file explorer simply is more efficient. Especially with the addition of thumbnail support which makes a directory look like a photo album, and also the address bar with auto-completion introduced in the Windows 98 era, which actually merges GUI with CLI, for maximum efficiency,
You have spoiled us with videos !! I love your videos so much man. The merging of tech and philosophy, in relation to time, is an underrated thing about your channel.
It’s funny how having characters on the screen was well-loved in Japan
10:30 at night for me, love the vid btw. tbh i always hated the look of Microsoft bob to me its like windows disguised as a fisher price toy
Honesty Microsoft *should* push BoB as a Kid's add on. I mean it probably would make kid me so happy to learn about computers when I was learning how to read. I mean half of the design was already there
I thought the same too.
Bro is churning these out (I'm not complaining)
Bob would have probably worked better as a kid's application, like as a safe computing environment where parents could set restrictions and stuff
Bob definitely had an audience, it just wasn't as big of an audience as Microsoft wanted. There is a bit of an Overton window to UX, and we know that some things will technically be the best UX ever but no one is ready for them. Go too far outside of the UX Overton window and you end up with Bob. Guided forms, tutorial tool tips, and limited options are pretty much the norm now as good UX, but back in the 90s, that shiz was cray cray.
I need to make a website about my cat starting a restaurant for me.
The only way the timing fir this thing launch could be worse is if it had released just wheb everyone was thinking of Windows 95... oh wait.. that's exactly what happened!
Dude I adore your videos.
just wanna say ive been watching for about 2 years, and ive really liked seeing you put your face in the videos lately. its felt a bit more welcoming and personal in a way. im not sure how to put it without sounding weird, but overall i think its a comforting change to the channel!!
Okay, but you can't just show how "demanding" Microsoft Bob's system req without giving us some sort of comparison to other OS back then.
*Like holy shit, it needs 8MB RAM? It's like double of 4MB RAM!*
You should do one on the competitors to Bob. Like the Packard bell desktop replacement etc.
you are just churning these out lately! Great work as always!
The quality of the intros don’t need to be great when you have a ominous black screen to capture attention
Lol the seething self hatred after saying be there or be square and turning off the camera. That shit sent me 😂
Maybe it would've made for a more cumbersome OS, but I LOVE the aesthetic of this thing! Maybe it's just nostalgia, since even though I've never been into video games, I loved computer and CD-ROM games. Plus, as someone with ADHD who's more than a little rejection sensitive, it genuinely feels like the computer is being nice to me when I look at this. I'm also just a sucker for cartoons dogs.
The thumbnail on my device was a dog but when i clicked on the video it became 🤓 lol
bob truly was the apple vision of it's day.
It looks like Microsoft is heading right back down this path with their unnecessary "feature updates" in Edge and Windows.
I don't know: my first computer and growing up I had Windows 3.1. I actually think it looks quite neat. I specially like the icons
I'm not familiar with the Apple Vision Pro, but if you have to physically stand up and walk to a calendar to open the calendar app, that's kinda terrible. I'll stick to being able to open the calendar app while laying in bed thank you very much.
I like listening and watching your videos, they make me feel like I am learning while also just chilling over the information. Good stuff :)
The best expression of skeuomorphism had to have been Creative Writer and Fine Artist. Each one took place in a 4 story building with different rooms for different functions.
I'm subscribed to lots of youtubers, but only to you with notifications on! Love your content, thank you!!
I used Microsoft Bob as a kid and absolutely loved it! It taught me how to use Windows
Funny thing... Commodore tried the same thing back in the early 80's with Magic Desk.
4:13 Me: EXPLOITING INFINITE STORAGE ON SQUARE SPACE
Now I see the origin of Bob named computer assistant.
I remember I saw that dog while I did file searching in Windows XP OS.
NationSquid: I have never heard of Microsoft Bob before, but it sounds quite interesting, and it looks quite beautiful. It just needs to be slightly more polished and they need to give you an option to have a cat instead of a dog. I would try it!
I'm going to wait for the full hype cycle to turn over before I go assuming that AR is going to radically change the way we interact with computers
One of the best summaries of MS Bob that I've ever seen. Completely disagree about it being ahead of its time.
It being ahead of it's time is a good thing
I wonder if someone's ever made an unofficial VR version of Microsoft Bob. It's gotta exist. Would be fun to see.
Seriously, people were complaining about it being confusing to use ? What is confusing about clicking on a calendar to open the calendar app?
I think MS Bob is basically like a Minecraft April Fools update
Actually, Comic Sans is underrated. It is reported to be really helpful for people with dyslexia.
he forgot that the GearVR existed, and did all the VR thinks that we want
Never used Microsoft Bob but it actually looks pretty fun. I was always super into simulation and interactive programs, and it would be cool to explore a virtual house. I also love the Microsoft assistants. In elementary school I'd spend more time playing with Links the cat in Word instead of working on my homework.
That augmented reality thing is on point. Microsoft Bob was just trying to merge the idea of a 'computer' with real life, but it was just too early for something like this to be normalized. Apple vision Pro is doing exactly that, merging a computer with real life, something you can interact with physically. Except Bob was still in the phase where computers were still being learnt on how to use, and it wasn't 'obvious' that a calendar is something you can interact with, while the Vision pro has icons which you clearly can recognize from computers, which many already know.
for some reason, Zelda's Lullaby comes to mind...
He basically just finished the video in the first 3 minutes.
Microsoft Bob is understood it's not absolutely terrible i loved it.
Nice thing to fall asleep too, uploaded just in time
I would love to see a video on the WebTv from the late 90s.
i love seeing the requirements for old programs, cuz almost all of them can just be run inside of a modern CPU lol
What is the name of the background music, when the macbook came?
this is miltown i’m just here with me block me rope and anoder rope
fun fact: the font "Comic Sans" was made because of microsoft bob (from what ive heard)
That ad read! XD
Packard Bell has the Navigator - it's version of Bob
I honestly dont think Microsoft Bob can be that bad
Okey, how did you manage to make so mamy videos in so short of a time?
By the manner they try to be overly helpful in Windows 10 by default, they still haven't learned their lesson by a long margin.
i'd have never guessed it wasn't meant to teach kids how to use computers (or something) unless you said so lol
i keep forgetting the dogs name is rover and not bob.
It inspired Clippy??? Well, that changes everything!
:)
YAAAAAYYYY NEW VIDEO
ok that was a genuinely good ad i liked that
There is potential for the idea. Maybe it could get remade but less slower and less kiddy and remove all of the bad features! And add a less annoying clippy. And less complicated and have a simple deisegn like windows 11.
Can you make a video about Lindows?
Can you please make a video on the Bomberman Chromebook extension that actually contains malware?
The problem with Apple is that, unlike Windows, Apple won't license it's OS to PC manufactures, limiting the OS to just their Macintosh computer. I don't like Apple restricting everything behind a garden wall.
good idea, went overboard
Bob was for 75 year old spinster aunts who only have cats as friends
Microsoft Bob didn't fly because it was in the wrong market: Majorly computer-literate users who operate via both GUI and CMD. It's only going to get a good use case now because the primary market is mobile users who can't troubleshoot to save their life, much more do a proper google search for their issues. Notice how it mostly appealed to kids? That's the thing, this function covers what mostly a child level user needs, which accurately describes the typical zoomer on phone who mostly only do simple task the app store, tiktok, and chat.
Apple had a GUI before Microsoft
Oh god not the Apple Vision Pro. :'(
After Windows 95 came out, Microsoft killed Bob. Windows 95 was a major overhaul of Windows which is made easier to use then Windows 3.11
Do I really need Squarespace for HTML site?? 🤔🤔 What about home server PCs??🤔🤔
Edit: 11:04 🤣🤣 "Why is there a non-working computer, in the computer program?!" 😂😂
It is point and click adventure.