Remembering Microsoft Bob, the Precursor to Windows RT

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Treating users like idiots never works

I've written about the demise of Windows RT on more than one occasion over the course of the last couple of weeks, and in the comments section of both articles, there's mention of Microsoft Bob. Prior to those incidents, it had been a long time since I've seen anyone bring it up. References to Microsoft Bob usually only manifest when talking about forgettable Windows releases, like ME, Vista (pre-SP1), and RT. However, Microsoft Bob wasn't actually a Windows version, it was a patronizing GUI that foreshadowed Windows RT's demise. Never heard of it? Let's take a trip back in time.
Microsoft Bob was released in early 1995 as a desktop replacement for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. Think of it as a GUI overlay. It was intended to make Windows less intimidating to novice users by dumbing down the interface -- instead of the traditional desktop with folders and icons, Microsoft Bob put users inside a graphical home with different rooms.
Rooms were either public or private, the latter of which could only be entered into by whichever user account it was attached to. You could decorate each of the rooms with various objects, as well as move things around, change the theme, and even create new rooms altogether.
What about the applications? These were integrated into the rooms. If you wanted to access Calendar, you could click on the calendar hanging on the wall. Likewise, clicking on the pen and paper on your desk would open up a word processor. These were essentially shortcuts presented as decorations.

As you moved about the house, a pet dog named Rover (think: Clippy) would follow you around and offer tips and suggestions, provided you didn't turn him off.
Microsoft Bob isn't a project that came out of nowhere, but was born out of research by a pair of Stanford University professors, Clifford Nass and Byron Reeves. It was overseen by Microsoft researcher Karen Fries, and for a short while, Melinda Gates served as one of the project's marketing managers.
Only one major version of Microsoft Bob was ever made (not counting the Gateway Edition that came with Gateway 2000 PCs) and it was discontinued less than five months later. The biggest reason it flopped is because users had no interest in being treated like idiots, though it didn't help that it had relatively steep system requirements for the time (minimum 486SX CPU, 8MB RAM, 32GB disk space, and 256 color Super VGA) and initially sold for $100.
These days Microsoft Bob is remembered as one of Microsoft's biggest product failures, which makes it even more interesting that Windows RT and the whole metro interface came about. Just as interesting is that as recently as 2013, Bill Gates spoke out in support of Microsoft Bob, saying it will make a comeback someday.
"We were just ahead of our time, like most of our mistakes," Gates said.
Here's a look at Microsoft Bob in action:

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