Clippy Everywhere (oh god: CLIPPY EVERYWHERE)
May 19, 2013 8:25 AM Subscribe
"Our research shows that people love two things: failed Microsoft technologies and obscure Javascript libraries. Naturally, we decided to combine the two." Thanks to Smore, you can now put Microsoft Clippy (or one of its friends) on your websites.
what no dont
posted by mhoye at 8:45 AM on May 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mhoye at 8:45 AM on May 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Ah, Links the Cat. I have a soft spot for that one.
posted by Medieval Maven at 9:05 AM on May 19, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by Medieval Maven at 9:05 AM on May 19, 2013 [7 favorites]
Oh, god, this is going to make the next April Fools day a nightmare on the internet!
posted by gkhan at 9:08 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by gkhan at 9:08 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Rover! That damn dog again. Several years ago I was trying to figure out this random clicking sound my computer was making. Turns out Rover was doing something in a search window I had open. It was so random and spotty that it took me months to pin it down.
You can hear it here at about 0:09. Apparently this was a source of a lot of grief for Windows XP users back in the day and there's a lot of threads about it, like here and here.
posted by crapmatic at 9:10 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
You can hear it here at about 0:09. Apparently this was a source of a lot of grief for Windows XP users back in the day and there's a lot of threads about it, like here and here.
posted by crapmatic at 9:10 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
I hope somebody is already working on a Firefox extension to kill Clippy.
posted by COD at 9:18 AM on May 19, 2013
posted by COD at 9:18 AM on May 19, 2013
Smore, you look like you're trying to KILL MY SOUL. Would you like help with that?
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 9:21 AM on May 19, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 9:21 AM on May 19, 2013 [3 favorites]
The only way I would love this more is if I could add it to tumblr.
posted by trogdole at 9:37 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by trogdole at 9:37 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
My husband is a microsoft web developer. I'm going to wait until he's having a long day and send him this with the suggestion he put it on whatever boring web-based application he's currently working on, figuring it will either kill him completely or make him smile.
posted by shelleycat at 9:38 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by shelleycat at 9:38 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Why all the Clippy hate? To me, MS Agents like Clippy and friends (including MS-BOB) were well ahead of their time...marketed in an era where everyone's grandmother didn't own a comput....*It looks like you're trying to justify a terrible idea. Would like for me to grey out the post button? (Yes/No)*
posted by samsara at 9:45 AM on May 19, 2013 [19 favorites]
posted by samsara at 9:45 AM on May 19, 2013 [19 favorites]
As a dumb kid, Clippy is what made me like learning to type in MS Word. My nostalgia levels are off the charts with this app! Thanks, barnacles.
posted by Green Winnebago at 9:55 AM on May 19, 2013
posted by Green Winnebago at 9:55 AM on May 19, 2013
I guess I was running Windows 2000 when this came out. I remember discovering how to banish it for good. When you do so, the dog makes sad eyes at you, and slowly walks off. I almost felt bad for it.
posted by thelonius at 10:14 AM on May 19, 2013 [8 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 10:14 AM on May 19, 2013 [8 favorites]
"It looks like you're trying to answer a question on AskMeFi.
What do you want to suggest?
[] DTMFA.
[] Eat it and report back on what happened next.
[] tl;dr.
[] Seek therapy; buy a cat.
[] You're overthinking this. Just do it.
[] I am not happy with the previous suggestion. I think we should discuss this on MetaTalk.
[] Don't show me this tip again."
posted by Wordshore at 10:33 AM on May 19, 2013 [12 favorites]
What do you want to suggest?
[] DTMFA.
[] Eat it and report back on what happened next.
[] tl;dr.
[] Seek therapy; buy a cat.
[] You're overthinking this. Just do it.
[] I am not happy with the previous suggestion. I think we should discuss this on MetaTalk.
[] Don't show me this tip again."
posted by Wordshore at 10:33 AM on May 19, 2013 [12 favorites]
I keep trying to make this work but it doesn't seem to support Microsoft Bob.
posted by 1adam12 at 10:40 AM on May 19, 2013
posted by 1adam12 at 10:40 AM on May 19, 2013
I liked Clippy.
posted by drezdn at 11:09 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 11:09 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
The idea of an intelligent agent in a computer program to act as a subsidiary to the actual UI doesn't seem that bad. I can actually see something like that being really useful in a hands-free interface like Glass.
I guess the main problem with Clippy is that for every time it did something helpful, it was mostly just distracting you with its animations and slowing down your computer. I think I can appreciate what they were trying to do with giving the IA personality, and I echo what someone else said where (when I was a kid) I felt a little bad by getting rid of the helpers, but do you really want people forming an emotional attachment to your help program?
posted by codacorolla at 11:24 AM on May 19, 2013
I guess the main problem with Clippy is that for every time it did something helpful, it was mostly just distracting you with its animations and slowing down your computer. I think I can appreciate what they were trying to do with giving the IA personality, and I echo what someone else said where (when I was a kid) I felt a little bad by getting rid of the helpers, but do you really want people forming an emotional attachment to your help program?
posted by codacorolla at 11:24 AM on May 19, 2013
(On FF on my machine, the avatar "static state" always stays in front of the animation. With a built-in bug, I guess that makes it true-to-life.)
posted by maxwelton at 12:17 PM on May 19, 2013
posted by maxwelton at 12:17 PM on May 19, 2013
I adored Linx - it would purr, or put its paws up on the monitor glass, or even curl up and go to sleep.
posted by jb at 12:18 PM on May 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by jb at 12:18 PM on May 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Our research shows that people love two things...
They need to put some research into the concept of 'love.'
posted by Kirth Gerson at 1:20 PM on May 19, 2013
They need to put some research into the concept of 'love.'
posted by Kirth Gerson at 1:20 PM on May 19, 2013
codacorolla: "The idea of an intelligent agent in a computer program to act as a subsidiary to the actual UI doesn't seem that bad."
If your UI is so confusing that it requires developing another entire piece of technology just to provide a glorified help interface, you're doing it wrong.
posted by mkultra at 1:29 PM on May 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
If your UI is so confusing that it requires developing another entire piece of technology just to provide a glorified help interface, you're doing it wrong.
posted by mkultra at 1:29 PM on May 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
OMG! Mr. Roquette still has Clippy and Friends!
I liked when the paper clip would turn into a star. That was all cute and stuff. I liked the kitty too.
My son tried numerous times to banish them. They'd pop up during my excruciating Billing and Coding exams.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 3:26 PM on May 19, 2013
I liked when the paper clip would turn into a star. That was all cute and stuff. I liked the kitty too.
My son tried numerous times to banish them. They'd pop up during my excruciating Billing and Coding exams.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 3:26 PM on May 19, 2013
I want to install Clippy on other people's machines and set it up so the "don't show this tip again" option skitters away from the mouse when the user tries to click it. I am a monster.
posted by gingerest at 5:10 PM on May 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by gingerest at 5:10 PM on May 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
"It looks like you're trying to answer a question on AskMeFi.
[ ] Join the Coast Guard.
posted by pointystick at 7:42 PM on May 19, 2013 [5 favorites]
[ ] Join the Coast Guard.
posted by pointystick at 7:42 PM on May 19, 2013 [5 favorites]
One night I was on a cross-country red eye. Most people were asleep, but a few rows up I could hear someone typing away on his laptop. Suddenly he cries out, "Goddamn fucking paper clip!" Hilarious.
posted by carmicha at 7:13 AM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 7:13 AM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Ah, how to get fired from my job in style...
posted by Zed at 7:44 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Zed at 7:44 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
jenkinsEar: If you want to add the Konami code to a website, Mousetrap is definitely the easiest way to do it.
posted by 23 at 6:59 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by 23 at 6:59 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
"I see you've just posted a 1000 word question about all the things you don't like about your boy/girlfriend. Have you considered just DTMFA?"
posted by empath at 8:05 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by empath at 8:05 PM on May 20, 2013
To paraphrase Ash: Why the hell would I want to do this?
posted by ostranenie at 9:32 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by ostranenie at 9:32 PM on May 20, 2013
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posted by arcticseal at 8:40 AM on May 19, 2013 [2 favorites]