<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
is	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
software	O
product	O
intended	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
more	O
user-friendly	O
interface	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1x	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
operating	O
systems	O
,	O
supplanting	O
the	O
Windows	O
Program	O
Manager	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
presented	O
screens	O
showing	O
a	O
"	O
house	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
"	O
rooms	O
"	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
could	O
go	O
to	O
containing	O
familiar	O
objects	O
corresponding	O
to	O
computer	O
applications	O
—	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
a	O
desk	O
with	O
pen	O
and	O
paper	O
,	O
a	O
checkbook	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
case	O
,	O
clicking	O
on	O
the	O
pen	O
and	O
paper	O
would	O
open	O
the	O
word	B-General_Concept
processor	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
was	O
criticized	O
in	O
the	O
media	O
and	O
did	O
not	O
gain	O
wide	O
acceptance	O
with	O
users	O
,	O
which	O
resulted	O
in	O
its	O
discontinuation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
character	O
Rover	O
appeared	O
as	O
a	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
search	O
companion	O
and	O
Clippit	B-General_Concept
,	O
nicknamed	O
"	O
Clippy	B-General_Concept
"	O
the	O
anthropomorphized	O
paperclip	O
as	O
a	O
digital	O
assistant	B-General_Concept
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
March	O
1995	O
(	O
before	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
was	O
released	O
)	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
widely	O
publicized	O
prior	O
to	O
that	O
date	O
under	O
the	O
codename	O
"	O
Utopia	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
originally	O
purchased	O
the	O
domain	O
name	O
bob.com	O
from	O
Boston-area	O
techie	O
Bob	O
Antia	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
traded	O
it	O
to	O
Bob	O
Kerstein	O
for	O
the	O
windows2000.com	B-Application
domain	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bob	O
included	O
various	O
office	O
suite	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
finance	O
application	O
and	O
a	O
word	B-General_Concept
processor	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
early	O
graphical	O
shells	O
like	O
Jane	B-Application
,	O
the	O
main	O
interface	O
is	O
portrayed	O
as	O
the	O
inside	O
of	O
a	O
house	O
,	O
with	O
different	O
rooms	O
corresponding	O
to	O
common	O
real-world	O
room	O
styles	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
kitchen	O
or	O
family	O
room	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
applications	O
built	O
into	O
Bob	O
are	O
represented	O
by	O
matching	O
decorations	O
–	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
clicking	O
on	O
a	O
clock	O
opens	O
the	O
calendar	O
,	O
while	O
a	O
pen	O
and	O
paper	O
represent	O
the	O
word	B-General_Concept
processor	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
edition	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
was	O
bundled	O
with	O
the	O
Gateway	O
2000	O
computer	O
around	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
demonstration	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
generally	O
positive	O
reactions	O
,	O
reviewers	O
given	O
copies	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
in	O
advance	O
of	O
its	O
launch	O
generally	O
derided	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
more	O
visible	O
product	O
failures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
PC	O
Data	O
,	O
the	O
real	O
sales	O
from	O
its	O
release	O
until	O
its	O
discontinuation	O
were	O
only	O
about	O
58,000	O
—	O
far	O
short	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
estimate	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
sell	O
millions	O
like	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Works	I-Application
and	O
Encarta	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
being	O
discontinued	O
just	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
launch	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
continued	O
to	O
be	O
severely	O
criticized	O
in	O
reviews	O
and	O
popular	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bob	O
received	O
the	O
7th	O
place	O
in	O
PC	O
World	O
magazine	O
's	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
25	O
worst	O
tech	O
products	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
number	O
one	O
worst	O
product	O
of	O
the	O
decade	O
by	O
CNET.com,	O
and	O
a	O
spot	O
in	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
50	O
worst	O
inventions	O
published	O
by	O
Time	O
magazine	O
,	O
who	O
called	O
Bob	O
"	O
overly	O
cutesy	O
"	O
and	O
an	O
"	O
operating	O
system	O
designed	O
around	O
Clippy	B-General_Concept
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
employee	O
Raymond	O
Chen	O
wrote	O
in	O
an	O
article	O
that	O
an	O
encrypted	O
copy	O
of	O
Bob	O
was	O
included	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
install	O
CDs	O
to	O
consume	O
space	O
to	O
prevent	O
piracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
thought	O
that	O
adding	O
an	O
additional	O
30	O
megabytes	O
to	O
the	O
disc	O
(	O
in	O
the	O
era	O
of	O
dial	O
up	O
internet	O
)	O
would	O
slow	O
users	O
of	O
56k	B-Application
modems	I-Application
when	O
they	O
attempted	O
to	O
download	O
the	O
software	O
illegally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
retired	O
Microsoft	O
engineer	O
David	O
Plummer	O
confessed	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
one	O
who	O
put	O
an	O
encrypted	O
copy	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
onto	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
installation	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
virtual	O
assistants	O
in	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
later	O
inspired	O
Clippit	B-General_Concept
,	O
nicknamed	O
"	O
Clippy	B-General_Concept
"	O
the	O
paperclip	O
,	O
the	O
default	O
Office	B-General_Concept
Assistant	I-General_Concept
in	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rover	O
,	O
the	O
software	O
's	O
dog	O
mascot	O
,	O
became	O
a	O
"	O
search	O
companion	O
"	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
's	O
File	O
Search	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Connare	O
's	O
font	O
did	O
not	O
appear	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
release	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
for	O
the	O
technical	O
reason	O
that	O
the	O
letters	O
did	O
not	O
fit	O
on	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
typographical	O
grids	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
debut	O
in	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
3D	B-Application
Movie	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
and	O
later	O
emerged	O
as	O
an	O
additional	O
typeface	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
