Wikipedia

Office Assistant

TheOffice Assistantis a discontinuedintelligent user interfaceforMicrosoft Officethat assisted users by way of an interactiveanimated characterwhichinterfacedwith the Office help content. It was included inMicrosoft Office,inMicrosoft Publisher,Microsoft Project,andMicrosoft FrontPage.It had a wide selection of characters to choose from, with the most well known being apaperclipcalledClippit.[1][2]The Office Assistant and particularly Clippit have been the subject of numerous criticisms and parodies.

Clippit,the default Office Assistant, as seen in Microsoft Office 2000 through 2003

Description

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The Office Assistant was anintelligent user interfaceforMicrosoft Office.It assisted users by way of an interactiveanimated characterthatinterfacedwith the Office help content. It was included inMicrosoft Office for Windows(versions 97 to 2003), inMicrosoft PublisherandMicrosoft Project(versions 98 to 2003),Microsoft FrontPage(versions 2002 and 2003), andMicrosoft Office for Mac(versions 98 to 2004). The Office Assistant used technology initially fromMicrosoft Boband laterMicrosoft Agent,offering advice based onBayesianalgorithms.

The default assistant in the English version was named Clippit, after a paperclip.[3][4]The character was designed by Kevan J. Atteberry.[5][6]Although the name Clippit was used in all versions of Microsoft Office that supported the Office Assistant feature, the assistant became commonly referred to by the public asClippy,a name which later occasionally bled into Microsoft marketing materials.[1][7][8][9]Clippit was by far the most notable (partly because in many cases the setup CD was required to install the other assistants), which also led to him being called simply theMicrosoft Paperclip.[10]

Technology

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The Office Assistant used technology initially fromMicrosoft Bob,[11]and laterMicrosoft Agent,offering advice based onBayesianalgorithms.[8]From Microsoft Office 2000 onward, Microsoft Agent (.acs) replaced the Microsoft Bob-descended Actor (.act) format as the technology supporting the feature. Microsoft Agent-based characters have richer forms and colors, and are not enclosed within a boxed window. Furthermore, Microsoft Agent characters could use theLernout & HauspieTruVoice Text-to-Speech Engine to provide output speech capabilities, but it required SAPI 4.0. The Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine also allowed Microsoft Agent characters to accept speech input.[12]This technology was also used for theFile Explorer's search companions inWindows XP.

History

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According toAlan Cooper,the "Father ofVisual Basic",the concept of Clippit was based on a" tragic misunderstanding "of research conducted atStanford University,showing that the same part of thebrainin use while using amouseorkeyboardwas also responsible for emotional reactions while interacting with otherhuman beingsand thus is the reason people yell at theircomputer monitors.[13]Microsoftconcluded that if humans reacted to computers the same way they react to other humans, it would be beneficial to include a human-like face in their software.[13]As people already related to computers directly as they do with humans, the added human-like face emerged as an annoying interloper distracting the user from the primary conversation.[13]

Clippit was based onMicrosoft Bob,a redesign of early Windows versions. Bob was discontinued in 1996 after receiving poor reception, replaced by Office Assistant shortly after.

First introduced inMicrosoft Office 97,[14]the Office Assistant was code-named TFC during development, with the "C" standing for "clown."[15]It appeared when the program determined the user could be assisted by using Office wizards, searching help, or advising users on using Office features more effectively. It also presented tips and keyboard shortcuts. For example, typing an address followed by "Dear" would cause the Assistant to appear with the message, "It looks like you're writing aletter.Would you like help? "

Microsoft turned off the feature by default inOffice XP,[16]and as a result they focused most of their marketing on that change.[17]

They created the now-defunct websiteofficeclippy.com,and hosted threeflashcartoons starring a newly unemployed Clippit (now officially being referred to as Clippy,) a song sung by Clippit, and a flashvideo gamecalled Office XP (Xtract Paperclip) where you use office supplies to try to slay an army of Clippits.[18]On May 31, 2001, during the Office XP launch event in New York City, a man in a Clippit mascot costume interrupts the introduction and gives a speech begging for his job back before being dragged off stage by a comically large magnet.[19]Notably, Clippit is voiced byGilbert Gottfriedduring this ad campaign. Later that November, Microsoft published the video game Bicycle Card Games for Windows computers, featuring Clippit as a playable character, with Gilbert Gottfried reprising his role.[20]

On May 11, 2004, Microsoft releasedMicrosoft Office 2003,which would be the last version of Microsoft office to feature the Office Assistant feature, with it being no longer present in all subsequent versions.

Assistants

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When the Office Assistant feature was introduced in Office 97, the user could choose which character is displayed while they use the program. The list of characters that the user could choose from include:

  • Clippit (theanthropomorphicpaperclip most are familiar with, the default option in most of the Microsoft Office editions that supported Office Assistant)
  • The Dot (a shape-shiftingsmiley-faced red ball)
  • The Genius (a caricature ofAlbert Einstein,removed in Office XP but available as a downloadable add-on)
  • Hoverbot (arobot)
  • Kairu(カイル)(adolphinavailable for East Asian editions, also downloadable for other regions)[21]
  • Office Logo (ajigsaw puzzlecomposed of four pieces, which was the logo for Microsoft Office 9x. There was also an additional downloadable silent, immobile version of the character with a minor redesign)[22]
  • Mother Nature (aglobe)
  • Power Pup (asuperherodog)
  • Scribble (anorigami-esquecat)
  • Will (a caricature ofWilliam Shakespeare)

In Microsoft Office 2000 and beyond, theHoverbot,Scribble,Power Pup,andWillassistants were removed, and new Office Assistants were introduced in their place:

  • F1 (a robot who was previously downloadable for Office 97, included in Microsoft Office 2000 & beyond)
  • Links (a cat who was previously downloadable for Office 97, included in Microsoft Office 2000 & beyond)
  • Rocky (a dog included in Microsoft Office 2000 & beyond)
  • Merlin (awizardinspired by thecharacter of the same name,introduced in Office XP)

The Clippit, Office Logo, and Kairu assistants were also redesigned to have a more three dimensional appearance. The removed assistants later resurfaced as downloadable add-ons along with other additional assistants.[23]

Exclusive Assistants

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InMicrosoft Office 98and2001,MacOSexclusive editions of Microsoft Office, all of the built in Office 97 assistants were included (also retaining their Office 97 designs) along with an additional three assistants:

  • Bosgrove (abutlerexclusive to MacOS)
  • Earl the cat (a blue cat, also downloadable for Office 97)
  • Max (aMacintosh Pluscomputer exclusive to MacOS)

The Office XP Multilingual Pack had two more assistants for Asian language users in non-Asian Office versions:[24]

  • Saeko Sensei(Nhạ tử tiên sinh)(an animated teacher also available for East Asian editions)
  • The Monkey King (Chinese:Tôn ngộ không) (based on the ficitonal characterSun Wukong,also available for East Asian editions)

In 1999, there was a partnership between Microsoft and the Japanese talk showSanma no Manma(さんまのまんま)hosted by comedianSanma Akashiya,where if a customer in Japan were to purchase a copy of Microsoft Office 2000 Upgrade Edition, they would be mailed a promotional CD that would install the show's mascotManma-chan(まんまちゃん),an alien that resembles a dog as an additional Office Assistant.[25][26]

Criticism

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Clippit creator Kevan Atteberry discussing his much-maligned character atROFLConII

Despite the Office Assistant's intention of being helpful, it was widely reviled among users as intrusive and annoying,[27][28]and was criticized even within Microsoft. Microsoft's internal codename TFC had a derogatory origin:Steven Sinofsky[15]states that "C" stood for "clown", while allowing his readers to guess what "TF" might stand for.Smithsonian Magazinecalled Clippit "one of the worst software design blunders in the annals of computing".[29]Timemagazine included Clippit in a 2010 article listing the fifty worst inventions.[30]

Although helpful to brand-new users, and although introduced at a time when relatively few people had extensive experience with computers, the Office Assistant feature was criticized for interrupting users and not providing advice that was fully adapted to the situation.[7]

Legacy

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On January 30, 2007,Microsoft Office 2007released with the Office Assistant feature being fully removed, and it has remained that way in all subsequent releases of Microsoft Office. Later that same year, Microsoft hosted theTechEd2007 conference, with featured a keynote opening that parodiedBack to the Future.In the opening, then Microsoft presidentBob MugliaandChristopher Lloyd(reprising his role asDoc Brownfrom themovie) use theDeloreanto travel across time, eventually arriving at an alternate future where unsuccessful Microsoft products become a reality. The alternate future is depicted as a white void with a threatening hologram of thesmiley facelogo from Microsoft Bob along side a sarcastic Clippit hologram.[31]Interestingly, Gilbert Gottfried does not reprise his role as Clippit this time.

In May of 2009, as way to promoteMicrosoft Office 2010,Microsoft created a website[32]that hosted a trailer for a fake movie titled "Office 2010 - The Movie." The trailer featured a photograph of Clippit along with his tombstone, referencing the removal of the Office Assistant feature.[33]

On April 2, 2011, Microsoft Office Labs releasedRibbon Hero 2: Clippy's Second Chance,a freepuzzle video gameused to tech users the basics of Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010. In the game, Clippit is searching for a part time job before discovering a time machine that takes him to different time periods. The player must complete multiple office related tasks to progress the story further.

Clippit, hidden

A small image of Clippit can be found in Microsoft Office 2013 and newer, which can be seen by going to Options and changing the theme (or Office Background) to "School Supplies". Clippit would then appear on the ribbon.

Clippit appeared as an Office Assistant in Office Online as part of anApril Fools' Day2014 joke.[34]Several days later, aneaster eggwas found in the then-preview version ofWindows Phone 8.1.When asked if she likes Clippit, the personal assistantCortanawould answer "Definitely. He taught me how important it is to listen." or "What's not to like? That guy took a heck of a beating and he's still smiling."[35]Her avatar occasionally turned into a two-dimensionalMetro-style Clippit for several seconds. This easter egg is still available in the full release version of the Windows Phone operating system and Windows 10.[36]

On March 19, 2019, Microsoft released a "Clippy!" sticker pack for Microsoft Teams on the Microsoft 365 DeveloperGitHubPage, but was later removed three days later.[37]The sticker pack was later integrated into Teams itself on November 1st, 2021, and has been included ever since.[38]He is also present in some of the backgrounds users can select.[39]

The paperclip emoji (📎) onWindows 11

On July 2021, Microsoft usedTwitterto show off a redesign of Clippit, and said that if it received 20,000 likes they would replace the paperclipemojionMicrosoft 365with the character.[40]The Tweet quickly surpassed 20,000 likes and they then announced they would replace it.[41][42]In November 2021, Microsoft officially updated their design of the paperclip emoji (📎) onWindows 11to be Clippit.[43]

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Clippit is the subject of numerous humorous parodies and references, includinginternet memes.[7]It has been lampooned in multiple television series, includingFamily Guy,The Simpsons,[44]The Office[40]andSilicon Valley.[45]

Parodies

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There is a Clippit parody in thePlus! Dancerapplication included inMicrosoft Plus! Digital Media Editionwhich is later included asWindows DancerinWindows XP Media Center Edition 2005.The dancing characterBoo Who?[46]is wearing a ghost outfit, roughly having the shape of Clippit's body, with a piece of wire visible underneath. Occasionally, the white sheet slips, and reveals the thin curve of steel. The description mentions "working for a short while for a Redmond, WA based software company, where he continued to work until being retired in 2001".

Clippit was featured in the music video for"Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Word Crimes."[47]

Vigoris a Clippit-inspired parody software—a version of thevitext editor featuring a rough-sketched Clippit.

On April 1, 2015, social media websiteTumblrcreated a parody of Clippit, Coppy, as an April Fools joke. Coppy is an anthropomorphized photocopier that behaved in similar ways to Clippit, asking the user if they want help. Coppy would engage the reader in a series of pointless questions, with a dialogue box written inComic Sans MS,which was deliberately designed to be extremely annoying.[48]In 2022, Tumblr created aYoutoozcollectible of Coppy.

Multiple episodes ofStar Trek: Lower Decksfeature a holographic character named "Badgey" who takes the anthropomorphic form of the communication badges featured in the series. The character is initially imbued with characteristics reminiscent of Clippit, but malfunctions and becomes a recurring antagonist.

A video game for cell phones and available onSteamcalledProgressBar 95features a spoof of Clippit as a common NPC, often part of annoying popups or carrying sticks of dynamite or guns to hurt the player's progress.

Other pop culture allusions

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In a June 2008 episode of theNPRshowWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!marking the occasion ofBill Gatestransitioning to semi-retirement from Microsoft, humoristAdam Felberand comedianPaul Provenzaad-lib a scenario in which Clippit is being driven to a location outside ofRedmond, Washington,at night and says such things as "It looks like you're digging a grave. Is this a business grave or a personal grave?" The segment has become one of the most requested by listeners for replay during "best of" reviews of the show.[49]

In 2015, a music video directed by Chris Bristow was released forDelta Heavy's songGhost,which features a saddened Clippit discovering Shania, a modern voice-activated digital assistant, and later on Clippit becomes angry upon discovering the modern landscape of the world.[50]

In the thirteenth season of theDungeons and Dragonsactual play showDimension 20(set in the world ofStarstruck), Clippit was used as the basis of a planetary superintelligence called Gnosis in the far future.

InCatherynne M. Valente's 2018 novelSpace Opera,two humans have been whisked to a distant planet to take part in a music contest that could lead to humanity being destroyed. Soon after arrival, they are disoriented and in great danger, and find themselves confronted by a giant animated Clippit, created by a sentient AI collective based on what it had found was widespread on human computers.

Clippit appears as a mentor non-player character in the artificial-intelligence-based air traffic control system forMicrosoft Flight SimulatorandX-Plane,SayIntentions.AI.[51]

In the 2021 video game,Halo Infinite,Clippit appears as an equippable weapon charm.[52]

See also

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References

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  2. ^"Microsoft Clippy".Microsoft.Archived fromthe originalon 2001-08-11.
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  7. ^abcCassidy, Benjamin (23 August 2022)."The Twisted Life of Clippy".Seattle Met.
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Further reading

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