While the novelty of a talking paper-clip assisting me with my Microsoft Office documents may have lasted for the first minute I turned on my Office 97 product, like many others, I switched him off moments after his debut… or at least I thought I did.
Clippy seemed to have a unique ability to somehow reappear, which lead a number of web sites to publish reports on how to get rid of the wiry little annoyance for good.
Users will be happy to hear that when Microsoft unveils its Office XP on May 31st there will be no Clippy to be seen. Although the little Office-helper will be available for those who decide they want him, the default setting will have that function disabled.
While Lisa Gurry, a Microsoft product manager, believes the change is a result of XP’s ease of use, many speculate that the customers’ distaste for the blinking stationery supply was the deciding factor.
Microsoft has started a site on behalf of Clippy, which has been dubbed as his campaign to get his old job back.
“He’s quite down in the dumps,” Gurry joked.