What’s All the Fuss About?
Clippy
What is it?
Surely you haven’t forgotten Clippy? Officially named Clippit, it was the animated paperclip in versions of Office and Windows between 1997 and 2004. It would recognise what you were doing – such as typing ‘Dear’ when writing a letter – and pop up with messages designed to assist you: “It looks like you’re writing a letter. Would you like help?” Poor Clippy was meant to be friendly and accessible, but users found it intensely annoying. It’s now widely regarded as one of the worst features in the history of computing.
Ah yes, I had blanked out the horror. Did Microsoft realise its mistake?
Yes, pretty sharpish. Microsoft thought that because humans shouted at their computers as though they were actually alive, they would be soothed by seeing a human-like character offering assistance. But users grew tired of Clippy’s constant interference, while some women even complained about its ‘leering’ eyes (users overwhelmingly saw Clippy as male).
Microsoft quickly accepted defeat, and tried to turn this adverse reaction into a marketing tool by promoting Office XP with the website www.officeclippy.com (now offline), which explained how to turn off Clippy. The unloved paperclip limped on for a few more years, and hasn’t been seen since ‘Microsoft Office for Mac’ was launched in 2004.
Then why are we talking about it?
Because Microsoft is using it as one of four “nostalgic” backgrounds for its Teams tool in Windows 11.
Teams? What’s that again?
It’s a tool for groups of people – or ‘teams’ – to work together, aimed at businesses that have a lot of staff working from home. Microsoft has prioritised the tool during the Covid pandemic, adding new video, chat and file-sharing features to help make remote working more productive. This strategy has proved hugely successful. In March, 32 million people used Teams; now it’s 145 million. It’s going to be a big part of Windows 11, Microsoft has said, with the option to make calls built into the taskbar. This focus on Teams is the reason why Microsoft plans to exclude Skype from Windows 11 (though you’ll still be able to install it from the Microsoft Store).
So what’s Clippy got to do with Teams?
Nothing. Which is why it’s rather odd that Microsoft has resurrected the tool as a Teams background. It presumably thinks Clippy is seen as such a joke among users that people will enjoy appearing in front of it during video chats. We’re not convinced though, given that many of those who use Teams were barely out of nappies when it was introduced. They may never have seen a real paperclip, let alone an animated one.
Is that the background above?
Yes. Clippy looks rather embarrassed to have reappeared. The other three backgrounds (all captured on Microsoft’s blog www.snipca.com/38915) also celebrate tools that have either gone or perhaps seen better days: Solitaire, Paint and the default Windows XP wallpaper (called ‘Bliss’, pictured below left), to which Microsoft has now added a “dappling of dandelions”. Remember it?
Indeed. We can’t see it without hearing XP’S plinkety-plonk start-up sound. Can I use these backgrounds now?
Yes. Click the link at the end of the blog and sign up for a free Teams account, then follow Microsoft’s instructions ( www.snipca.com/38918). You can also use them in Skype ( www.snipca. com/38919). Feel free to email us if you get stuck. We’ll promise to be more help than an irritating animated paperclip.