Reply #3: That's Rover.

[deucemagnet]

He's the sole remnant of a Microsoft project so annoying and unpopular with users that most of it never made it to the market.

I can't find the exact article I read on this, but there's some info here: http://technologizer.com/2009/01/02/microsoft-clippy-patents/

On edit: It was called "Microsoft Bob", it was a non-technical GUI that featured a cast of animated characters, and it was so universally hated that it never saw the light of day. On edit edit: It looks like it actually *was* released, but it was a complete failure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Bob
http://www.telecommander.com/pics/links/application%20software/microsoft/Microsoft_Bob_1_0/Microsoft_Bob_1_0.htm