Did You Know? Microsoft Made a Kids’ Word Processor in the 1990s
Apr 26, 2021, 6:40 am EDT
| 6 min read
When it comes to Microsoft and writing, Microsoft Word wasn’t always the only game in town. In 1993, Microsoft released a wacky word processor for kids called Creative Writer. Here’s what made it memorable.
Creative Writer: Bob before Bob
In the 1990s, Microsoft began experimenting with software for kids and computer novices. Among these products, an operating system shell called Microsoft Bob (1995) remains infamous for its coddling approach. Bob represented a bold, alternative vision of computing for novices that fell flat in the marketplace. With Bob, users interacted with their computers through the metaphor of a house, with the help of interactive assistant characters.