Bill Gates says Microsoft Bob will make a comeback

[Brink]

Bill Gates thinks that Microsoft Bob, or at least the concept, will come back to life as intelligent personal agents become part of everyday computing. Microsoft Bob, introduced by Gates at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 1995, provided a virtual house with rooms and doors and cartoon character assistants to help users navigate Windows and perform tasks with Microsoft applications. For example, users could log in by clicking on a door knocker or launch the calendar application by clicking on a calendar hanging on a wall. (Read Harry McCracken's fine history of Microsoft Bob.)

Speaking Monday at the Microsoft Research Faculty Summit at the company's Redmond, Wash., headquarters, the chairman said Microsoft Bob didn't get it right, but he thinks the concept will reemerge with a bit more sophistication. "We were just ahead of our time, like most of our mistakes," he said.

Read more at: Bill Gates says Microsoft Bob will make a comeback | Microsoft - CNET News

 

[Britton30]

I didn't know Bill Gates made a comeback. I thought Balmer was the head honcho.

 

[PSCO2007]

I didn't know Bill Gates made a comeback. I thought Balmer was the head honcho.

Brink's quote says:

Microsoft Bob, or at least the concept, will come back to life

Where does it say Gates is coming back?:huh:

 

[Britton30]

The first sentence in Shawn's quote? Oh, and the title of the post.

 

[PSCO2007]

The first sentence says "Bill Gates thinks..." not Bill Gates coming back.

Also, it's a concept, not a person.

 

[Britton30]

What's a concept?

 

[PSCO2007]

You're joking, right?

 

[Britton30]

Not at all.

Gates stepped down as chief executive officer of Microsoft in January 2000. He remained as chairman and created the position of chief software architect. In June 2006, Gates announced that he would be transitioning from full-time work at Microsoft to part-time work, and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He gradually transferred his duties to Ray Ozzie chief software architect, and Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer. Gates's last full-time day at Microsoft was June 27, 2008. He remains at Microsoft as non-executive chairman.

Source
If Gates stepped down and now he making decisions, he's ergo, made a comeback, no?

 

[Brink]

Hey Gary,

Bill Gates says Microsoft Bob will make a comeback

Gates is still on the board and has a say.

 

[Jacee]

Too funny!
I watched my Dental Hygienist pull up her files, and she has/had a little app that looks somewhat like that, but it's a dentist chair and surrounding cabinets ... it's quite amusing!

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I read somewhere Gates officially retired on June 27. He will continue to have some input on what happens with the company but not much. Ballmer has a clear path to continue to ball up M$.

 

[Britton30]

Well...I suppose MS Bob is as welcome as Clippit.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Awww...Clippy was cute!

 

[TVeblen]

MS Bob! MS Bob! Yeah!

I'm still disappointed that Canada did not name it's northern province Bob.

Wait a minute.... isn't the Metro screen just a much more boring version of Bob?

 

[Gary]

Microsoft Bob, I hope Bill is happy at The Home.

 

[Britton30]

Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software product, released in March 1995, although widely publicized prior to that date under the codename "Utopia",[2][3] which provided a new, non-technical interface to desktop computing operations. It was one of Microsoft's more visible product failures.[4] Microsoft's Steve Ballmer mentioned Bob as an example of a situation where "we decided that we have not succeeded and let's stop".[5]

Microsoft Bob - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[runningnak3d]

"Utopia",[2][3] which provided a new, non-technical interface to desktop computing operations. It was one of Microsoft's more visible product failures.[4]

Hmm... I think that Bill needs to take a long look at Windows 8. It is BOB all over again, but without the cute characters -- and just as much of a failure. So, BOB is here *today*!

-- Brian

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Maybe Bob's acceptance would go over better if it was named Bill?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm surprised Bob's not being renamed Steve.

 

[Layback Bear]

My understanding is much different.
The new generation of computer users (tablets and such) don't want to know how things work. They just want to poke the screen and see something happen. If the wrong thing comes up on the screen they will just poke another little square until want they want comes up.
I don't believe they will want Bob jumping up and telling them; Hay dumb ass you got to do it this way to make it work.
Microsoft built a system for the dumb down poke it crowd and now they want a little buddy called Bob to educate them on how to use the dumb down operating system.
I don't think the new computer crowd and Bob are on the same train.