Comment by silisili
7 days ago
First Windows computer I ever used had something like this, called Packard Bell Navigator. It was... interesting but ultimately an annoyance to use.
Looking at screenshots, Bob appears to be a more childish and cartoony version of the concept. I can see why it didn't fair well.
https://youtu.be/pwTIbYV_q6I around the 12 to 13 minute mark shows the Navigator interface.
Ugh, Packard Bell. Being our first computer, we had no idea that Navigator program was pointless until months after. And I think it was another year before we realized it was capable of true color resolution (It shipped with 256 colors as the default).
Version 1.0 of Packard bell navigator in that video reminds me of the Macintosh "at ease" software I used to see in schools.
Totally off topic, I'm reminded that a high school friend gave me an old Packard bell machine for free once, and I ran OpenBSD on it for years. I got some ISA NICs and used it as a firewall.
Oh gawd I remember Mac "At Ease." That was the dumbed down lockdown software they used to make the computers at the school labs fun proof.
My father installed it on our family mac. I somehow discovered that by quickly rebooting twice, it would start the usual Finder shell instead, albeit in English instead of the configured Norwegian. Fun times.
Well, as a kid, I loved it.
It was probably awful but I didn’t care at all it had extreme 90´s vibes. All of my games were in a space room or whatever I remember. I was 6 or 7 and I discovered computers. Everything was cool. Packard Bell Navigator was in everything so it was cool :)
Yes it’s nostalgia.
The first computer that I bought (in 8th grade, after saving for a couple of years) had Packard Bell Navigator. It was a sort of full-screen program in Windows 95 that you'd use to launch other programs, although it could do a few other things in-app.
It was ... odd. I opened it once or twice and deleted it.
You just unlocked a core memory for me. I remember that house so well but haven't thought of it in decades!
“Adult Password” vs the much more common modern “Admin Password” is excellent
if Microsoft Bob was too cartoony for you, you could also go with a cartoony puppy, or a cartoon wizard!
I worked with a software developer who LOVED that puppy - way more than I loved MOPy fish (rip)
Petey the green bird, then gorilla was my buddy. Bonsai Buddy I think he was called!?
Ugh, I had forgotten all about that. I'll never get that creepy robotic "Day, z. Day, z" out of my head.