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I Wekcomed Clippy's Disappearance

That stupid cartoon paper-clip, and another Microsoft used (an asterisk I think) were childish, needless gimmicks; and worse, were frankly patronising.

Microsoft software generally is bloated with needless ornamenting etc., but I don't like it trying dictate my style as well.

Why when MS 'Word' recognises a document is a letter, does it try to tell me how to write it? It does not need recognise it anyway.

The normal polite endings for letters are Yours Sincerely (informal use) and Yours Faithfully (formal, e.g. business). Not the Yours Truly some MS programmer wants me to use. Obviously the endings on more intimate letters between relatives, close friends or lovers are open to your own versions, like "Best wishes", or "Love".

I am accustomed to dates as day-month-year - I do not want some bloke 6000 miles away in California trying to change it to his own format.

I know the Greek and Roman plurals: formulae and fora, not formulas and forums as MS tries to enforce. (I also respect their etymology, which controls the spelling hence often the meaning, though that's not a Microsoft matter.)

'

Basically, if I need technical help, I expect only the formal, direct, indexed Help glossary. I don't want puerile gimmicks and was very grateful that MS eventually dropped its animated paper-clip and asterisk.
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HoeBag · 51-55, F
I have MS Office 2003 professional (bought it brand new and still upload it to new computers) but anyways, Clippy isn't on there.

I do not know when it died but I know what happened - he was brutally murdered with the tool shown below.

ArishMell · 70-79, M
@HoeBag The image doesn't show, but I like your idea!

I think MS used it only on WIN-5. (I wonder why there were apparently no WINs 1, 2, 4 and 6? There was an 8, briefly, and an NT.)

I use WIN 7 Pro. I tried 10 but it was a disaster and seemed to show MS simply running out of ideas so just tinkering around the edges.
HoeBag · 51-55, F
@ArishMell Damn, well the image is of wire cutters.

My room mate had a good question though -
OK so there was windows 95, 98, etc.
Well then it was windows 7, 8, 10... What happens when it gets back up to 95?

There isn't too much rhyme nor reason for how the name their OS.
Well like Windows ME (Millennium Edition ) was not the same as Windows 2000.

Funny thing is, even since Windows 95, things haven't really changed much. Just marketing I suppse.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@HoeBag LOL!

I did wonder if it might be wire- cutters or something similar!.

I think you are right about Windows not changing much. Many, including me, consider XP and the Office software associated with it was Microsoft's best, and it has deteriorated since then.

We had WIN NT on a few computers at work, but because it did not support USB connections and drives it was soon obsolete.

My introduction to computers was at work with MS-DOS, but that was soon replaced by WIN 3.1. We also used small Hewlett-Packard PCs carrying locally-written programmes in BASIC, for operating test and measurement equipment.