Bob had a lot of potential. I've sat down and spent some time playing with it and it was kind of fun setting up your home and customizing things. There's definitely a lot of problems though, for example it would have been really cool if you could link programs to any furniture you want, other than just a few you could chose from. It also would have been really cool to be able to import your own images as furniture into the program. It also should have held your hand a lot less, having an "advanced mode" which treats you like less of a novice would have been great as well. It's also a lot better as a launcher than it's own platform. Bob apps feel a lot clunkier than regular Windows apps to actually try and use.
I worked in technical support for a German Internet provider 10 years ago. An older customer called and said "I click on the lamp, but my mail program doesn't open!" and I was totally confused. We were able to connect via VPN (today, by the way, the service costs a lot of money and privacy-wise....well, those were different times) and that's when I first got to know Microsoft Bob, which the customer actually had installed and connected to the mail client! But I was amazed. 😂😂
My very first PC was a Gateway 2000 running Windows 95, and it did indeed come with Bob Gateway Edition. To answer your question, no it wasn't the default environment, it was something you had to go into from the start menu. I was 10 and loved playing around with it, checking out the different assistant characters, decorating all the rooms differently.... This video has been a massive nostalgia trip for me, and now I'm kinda tempted to set it up in a VM, just to relive some of those memories.
I remember bob being installed on the computers when I was at school. We never used it in any lessons but I remember going into it towards the end of lessons when we had finished our work and were allowed a bit of time to play around on the computers. It was probably bundled in with a list of programs they installed onto the PCs and never removed.
Fun fact, Microsoft Bob was included as filler on Windows XP, literally. The CD had some free space left, someone over at the dev team realised that the files for Microsoft Bob are enough to get the disk full, so they encrypted the data for Bob to get the install disk up to fill up a single CD-ROM.
I loved Bob. I even bought it on eBay after playing with it at school; it was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the characters. As you mentioned, the format of the characters from Bob is compatible with Microsoft Agent 2.0 (which came out years later), so you can actually copy the ACT files into Office 2003 and use them as additional Office Assistants. The descriptions of the characters don't appear correctly in Office 2003, but the characters animate and play sound effects, as expected.
Font nerd: The font MS used for Bob's word mark was Dom Casual, not Comic Sans. Comic Sans was GOING to be used in Bob, but the designer delivered it to MS too late to be included. It did end up being used in MS Comic Chat which was a completely awesome chat app that used comic strips as the interface. Also, adoption rates for PCs were not great when Bob was released so they were throwing just about anything at the wall to see what stuck. It didn't, it took the internet to make home computing relevant to the average person.
I think that MS Bob was made at the request of other manufacturers to compete with the Packard Bell Navigator as a demo for selling computers to new tech-phobic customers. Immediately after its release, Bob was pre-installed to a lot of new PCs. Retailer used these programs to show how easy it was for beginners. After you bought the computer and used them for a few days, they got old really fast. They weren't completely useless, though. Removing the Packard Bell Navigator was how I learned how to edit the Autoexec.bat file!
Random passing thought -- Microsoft Bob was an early predecessor to the Sims for many people like me. It's like a virtual dollhouse (like the Sims), and you interact with objects by clicking on them (just like in the Sims).
They were all at it at the time producing their own version of this sort of thing - I remember selling Packard Bell desktops with this sort of thing on it, you were greeted by a house and each room represented a type of program/application as 'back in the day' Packard Bell computers came with literally dozens of applications, programs and games.
Microsoft was way ahead of the game with virtual assistants. Office had Clippy way back in the early 90s. They also had widgets in Vista which everyone hated but so many use these days, via mobile. They just brought these things to the public too soon for the hardware of the time.
I think Bob was created even before Windows 95 was released to basically help Windows 3.1 users navigate to their programs easier rather than having to deal with file manager.
and did you know that windows came with a version of Microsoft bob. It was used to fill up bytes for product activation. Also it birthed comic sands the font everyone loves to hate.
Has anyone figured out what causes them small title bars and buttons on the title bar? I've only ever seen it happen one time before Michael mentioned it in a previous video.
what is the secret video projects, bonzi.exe, the windows 95-98 email, subscribe, msn 4 life and other stuff, like u renamed internet explorer as netscape at 1:28
I've never used Microsoft Bob before but after watching this video, I can see why it was a failure. It would be interesting to try it though just to explore the rooms and try out some of the programs. It wouldn't be any good for everyday use but something to play around with and probably uninstall later.
I think this video has more infomation. I think you need to do a video on mac os maybe if so please make sure to find out by looking online at your database
The Y2k computer scare 😨lol they thought computer would malfunction if it would have 00 so I see what they did now to avoid the issue just add a 1 in front of the two 00
what happened to my life. i am trying to update my windows 7 OS manually, in an attempt to be able to play ####ing roblox, whilst watching a youtube video on the failed Microsoft Bob.
Michael ranting about being able to move a door is so hilarious to me
"this install of XP is so messed up."
Looks like the regedit at 5:20 fully agree with that statement.
My grandma did actually use bob. She still thinks to this day that the computer was easier to use it.
Thanks for documenting the Letter Writer bug I discovered!
Nice find!
@@supahsta2 :)
@james marshall I just use Bob for curiosity's sake and I discovered it when writing on the Letter Writer.
@james marshall but will it blow?
You should report it on the Windows 10 feedback hub :)
you skipped the "plan your divorce" feature
jokes aside, financial guide actually has a divorce planning feature
@@markusTegelane wait what lol
@@nogodcansaveyou not kidding
Hi I use ur bsod simulator will you make new versions
@@insanitylolyou know that you could've just replied to them directly?
Bob had a lot of potential. I've sat down and spent some time playing with it and it was kind of fun setting up your home and customizing things. There's definitely a lot of problems though, for example it would have been really cool if you could link programs to any furniture you want, other than just a few you could chose from. It also would have been really cool to be able to import your own images as furniture into the program. It also should have held your hand a lot less, having an "advanced mode" which treats you like less of a novice would have been great as well.
It's also a lot better as a launcher than it's own platform. Bob apps feel a lot clunkier than regular Windows apps to actually try and use.
I worked in technical support for a German Internet provider 10 years ago. An older customer called and said "I click on the lamp, but my mail program doesn't open!" and I was totally confused. We were able to connect via VPN (today, by the way, the service costs a lot of money and privacy-wise....well, those were different times) and that's when I first got to know Microsoft Bob, which the customer actually had installed and connected to the mail client! But I was amazed. 😂😂
My very first PC was a Gateway 2000 running Windows 95, and it did indeed come with Bob Gateway Edition. To answer your question, no it wasn't the default environment, it was something you had to go into from the start menu.
I was 10 and loved playing around with it, checking out the different assistant characters, decorating all the rooms differently....
This video has been a massive nostalgia trip for me, and now I'm kinda tempted to set it up in a VM, just to relive some of those memories.
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing! Good to know that it wasn’t the default environment lol. Glad you enjoyed the video! : )
Hey I wish I will get a copy but I can't find one but it's fine have a good day!😄
@@MichaelMJD
MJD E-Banking Logon
username: mjd
password: mjd
I remember bob being installed on the computers when I was at school. We never used it in any lessons but I remember going into it towards the end of lessons when we had finished our work and were allowed a bit of time to play around on the computers. It was probably bundled in with a list of programs they installed onto the PCs and never removed.
I can't believe michael is 120 years old
That's what you call a "joke", in-case you didn't know.
WhiteAnimate r/wooooosh (he set his birthdate to 1900)
@@rly907 r/ihavereddit
He is actually 69420 years old
@@lucaplayz8476 yes
Fun fact, Microsoft Bob was included as filler on Windows XP, literally. The CD had some free space left, someone over at the dev team realised that the files for Microsoft Bob are enough to get the disk full, so they encrypted the data for Bob to get the install disk up to fill up a single CD-ROM.
I loved Bob. I even bought it on eBay after playing with it at school; it was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the characters.
As you mentioned, the format of the characters from Bob is compatible with Microsoft Agent 2.0 (which came out years later), so you can actually copy the ACT files into Office 2003 and use them as additional Office Assistants. The descriptions of the characters don't appear correctly in Office 2003, but the characters animate and play sound effects, as expected.
I sure do love the Bank of Bill Gates
MaddieMJD how do I sign up for it?
@@rycedj3319 You pay
Gotta mention, "Microsoft Bob Setup" sign is not in Comic Sans. The font was never used in the software actually, just distributed with it.
Hello from Windows XP on VirtualBox!
Lol
Keep up the great content, Michael!
I had this on my first computer as a kid and it was a lot of fun. I got a ridiculous amount of enjoyment out of just rearranging the rooms and stuff.
I told myself to stop watching these for months, and now it feels like I'm checking back with an old friend after 4 years...
Font nerd: The font MS used for Bob's word mark was Dom Casual, not Comic Sans. Comic Sans was GOING to be used in Bob, but the designer delivered it to MS too late to be included. It did end up being used in MS Comic Chat which was a completely awesome chat app that used comic strips as the interface. Also, adoption rates for PCs were not great when Bob was released so they were throwing just about anything at the wall to see what stuck. It didn't, it took the internet to make home computing relevant to the average person.
I love how IE is called Netscape on the desktop
I remember the old Packard Bell computer my family got in the early 90s coming with something very similar called Navigator.
I like it unscripted! Nice remake!
Glad you liked it!
Please MSN Browser on Windows 10!!! PLEASE!
MSN Browser or MSN Explorer? MSN Explorer requires an MSN subscription.
bypass
Did you know Bob also had a floppy disk version? It was made to match the floppy-only version of Great Greetings, which you install through Bob.
I think that MS Bob was made at the request of other manufacturers to compete with the Packard Bell Navigator as a demo for selling computers to new tech-phobic customers. Immediately after its release, Bob was pre-installed to a lot of new PCs. Retailer used these programs to show how easy it was for beginners. After you bought the computer and used them for a few days, they got old really fast.
They weren't completely useless, though. Removing the Packard Bell Navigator was how I learned how to edit the Autoexec.bat file!
2:55 it was for NT 3.5 as NT 3.5 came in
September 21 1994 while Windows 3.1 was released in 1992. Microsoft bob came in march 10 1995
Random passing thought -- Microsoft Bob was an early predecessor to the Sims for many people like me. It's like a virtual dollhouse (like the Sims), and you interact with objects by clicking on them (just like in the Sims).
love the msn 4 ever icon on the desktop lol
I just upgraded my own Gateway PC just like this. Got a 533 MHz Celeron out of a donor PC at work. The case will soon house my old FX-8350.
That’s a fine looking house...
(turns around) Why doesn’t mine look like that?!
They were all at it at the time producing their own version of this sort of thing - I remember selling Packard Bell desktops with this sort of thing on it, you were greeted by a house and each room represented a type of program/application as 'back in the day' Packard Bell computers came with literally dozens of applications, programs and games.
Interesting to see a Y2K bug in action.
Microsoft was way ahead of the game with virtual assistants. Office had Clippy way back in the early 90s. They also had widgets in Vista which everyone hated but so many use these days, via mobile. They just brought these things to the public too soon for the hardware of the time.
if vista was made today it would be really good but in 2006 it was wayy to ahead
Hello and welcome back and today we have messy $5 win 98 PC
well this is really interesting! the "household" is really cool!
BTW Yes, it was bundled with Gateway 2000 computers. My school had a lot of copies of it but it was optional.
Ahhh Bob ! Simple times...
I think Bob was created even before Windows 95 was released to basically help Windows 3.1 users navigate to their programs easier rather than having to deal with file manager.
he literally explained everything u explained in the video
"Gateway 2000 edition"
lol about 5 days ago I just got a working gateway 2000 system running 98 and then this video comes out.
and did you know that windows came with a version of Microsoft bob. It was used to fill up bytes for product activation. Also it birthed comic sands the font everyone loves to hate.
does microsoft bob have any exploits that allow you to escape it if you start with a fresh install?
Is the native resolution of your silver dell monitor 800x600? Or do you just keep the resolution low intentionally. Nothing against it, just curious.
Has anyone figured out what causes them small title bars and buttons on the title bar? I've only ever seen it happen one time before Michael mentioned it in a previous video.
it's a setting that was removed.
Nice video! I really want to mess around with Microsoft Bob.
If I remember right, one has the same date issue in a fresh install of Win 3.x.
"msn 4 ever"
What sound library do you use
You said it’s 98 it has xp on or did you upgrade
Hi Michael great video! Can you do the history of Ubuntu? Thanks! Love you.
14:40 did anyone notice that guy on the left side of the screen with the microsoft hat?
have you considered that ntuser.dat is suffering from permissions issues or profsvc might not be started or something like that?
I liked how he put earth as he's hometown
The OS after Microsoft Bob: Microsft Michael
I have a toshiba satellite running XP sp2 and I’ve been trying to change the registry so it’ll run TLS 1.1/.2
what is the secret video projects, bonzi.exe, the windows 95-98 email, subscribe, msn 4 life and other stuff, like u renamed internet explorer as netscape at 1:28
Brilliant video michael!!! I used microsoft bob in day!!
Back when it released? What was the experience like?
14:28 the dummy at the left cause the trouble
Clippy in MS Office 95 was a pain in the ass!
And why didn't you turn it off?
I've never used Microsoft Bob before but after watching this video, I can see why it was a failure. It would be interesting to try it though just to explore the rooms and try out some of the programs. It wouldn't be any good for everyday use but something to play around with and probably uninstall later.
This is basically the predecessor of Microsoft Hololens
How did your desktop got so messed up?
And how to get this secret theme also?
I think this video has more infomation. I think you need to do a video on mac os maybe if so please make sure to find out by looking online at your database
Making computers easier to use by making them harder to use. Can't see any flaws here
If you want to change the wallpaper and the theme etc just creat a new user an administrator not a simple user an administrator one
Microsoft BOB on Windows 10 (or 7?)
I believe that Michael has already tried this, I'm not that sure about it, but I remember him doing something like that
Microsoft should release an updated version of Microsoft Bob that's less annoying.
No.
Can you please make the development video of Windows 8.1? It's the only thing that is left.
Even though the PCS is now currently running Windows XP
Nice job michael
Me: *looks monitor*
Me: BONZI.EXE
this video was recorded a day b4 my b`day!
hey why ya watching down 'ere?
Maybe because you haven't activated Windows XP. I see the keys in the system tray
Nice desktop icons
The Y2k computer scare 😨lol they thought computer would malfunction if it would have 00 so I see what they did now to avoid the issue just add a 1 in front of the two 00
I remember installing Bob on an old Vista Computer. that was years ago and i still don't understand it-
Ｒｏｖｅｒ ｔｈｅ ｄｏｇ カタマ
Michael: "Oh, here it is, Comic Sans."
Me, knowing a lot of fonts from graphic design: "...that doesn't even look like Comic Sans, though..."
that eyesore unaligned icons on the desktop in the beginning..............
Also clippy is the best.
Windows longhorn on $5 windows 98 pc please
Make a video of installing bob on windows 10
"lol this install is so messed up"
- Bill Gates
mjd it is michalsoft bob
Bob on Windows 10? :P
I did that a couple of years ago actually! : )
7:21 the password is bob
nope, its mjd
Hotmail was launched in 1996 and sold to Microsoft at the end of 1997.
Why does the purple book look like someone out of deltarune
This is what torture looks like, personified.
Is that nerd emoji's great grandfather 💀
Lol
9:19 not to be that dude but that’s my bday :)
whats inside the "inside jokes" folder?
Jokes, what else could it be?
I still use hotmail :)
Microsoft Bob 2: Windows 10X.
get it michalsoft binbows meme
what happened to my life. i am trying to update my windows 7 OS manually, in an attempt to be able to play ####ing roblox, whilst watching a youtube video on the failed Microsoft Bob.
MICROSOFT BOB YESSSSSSSSS
Windows isn't activated
Can you do A Video on Sonic’s Schoolhouse
10:35
Bill for Bill