What is Microsoft Bob?
Microsoft Bob was a software product developed by Microsoft for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. It was an ambitious project, aiming to give non-technical computer users a dynamic environment to do all sorts of things with their computer. It featured a number of suite programs, such as a word processor and a personal finance package. Microsoft Bob was, ultimately, a highly visible failure. It was also, because of its campy aesthetic, and somewhat condescending concept, the perfect target for computer writers and pundits. Virtually everyone who wrote about technology in any capacity at some point made fun of Microsoft Bob, and it became one of the early touchstones of Internet humor. Microsoft Bob was basically an environment meant to replace the Program Manager. It replaced it with a cartoon environment, chock-full of tutorials and cute anecdotes, and surrounding a collection of programs used for everyday tasks. The program started with the user approaching a front door, and being asked to
Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software product, released in March 1995, which provided a new, nontechnical interface to desktop computing operations. Despite its ambitious nature, Bob failed to meet the market and was one of Microsoft’s more visible product failures. Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer named Bob as “one project we had undertaken … where we decided that we have not succeeded and let’s stop”.
