magus_melchior's Journal: Post-archival comment on MS Bob

Apologies in advance to Lewis Black fans and the two guys whose comments I, uh, "appropriated".

msshill: "So Bill, this world wide web thing is really starting to take off in the academic world. I think it's time we started making our own browser and include it with all installs of Windows."

billg: "That's the dumbest fucking idea I've heard since I've been at Microsoft. By contrast, over here is the best idea I've seen in a long time; its a new user-interface paradigm. I call it 'Bob'"

I don't know much, but I know this. Bob is not a piece of computer software. Bob is an insurance salesman from Topeka, Kansas. You get stuck in an airport terminal with Bob because your airline's been running Windows Me. Bob starts talking to you, and he shows you pictures of his kids, and Bob buys you a drink. You think, "Hey, Bob's not a bad guy." Then he tries to sell you insurance, and you say to yourself, "F*** you, Bob."

That is Bob.