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I was there when MS Bob crashed for The Bill.

Microsoft used to have a semi-secret facility that they called the Microsoft Home. It was housed in the Conference Center on the main campus and I had been hired as an assistant to the Systems Engineer that ran the place.

Closed off to the public - and even most MS employees - there were no markings to identify its existence or differentiate it from any of other part of the facility. A very nondescript doorway led one into the Home, a 2500 square foot representation of an upscale condominium where Microsoft showcased emerging technologies. It also doubled as a meeting place for executive meetings and luncheons.

Inside were rooms that afforded the opportunity to feature different categories of technologies all related to the then-burgeoning concept of “the connected home”. The Vestibule was equipped with a computerized sentry that greeted visitors and emulated the functions of personal secretary, reminding the owner of appointments and related matters. The Study featured an electronic wall of books (what would become e-books) and an internet-connected grand piano. The Kitchen had a prototype Internet-connected refrigerator that kept inventory, suggested meals, and automatically restocked itself. There was a huge family room with all sorts of entertainment choices (complete with a killer sound system!) and a kids playroom to show off all the computer-related technologies that Microsoft was developing. Prominently displayed in the Kids Nook was a prototype wireless tablet running MS Bob.

Most of you are aware that the Melinda, the future Mrs. Gates, was the project manager directing the development of MS Bob. I guess it was natural that Bill would want to give her baby a prominent place in the scheme of things, so it was always heavily promoted during the tours that would take place.

One day Bill was hosting a personal tour in The Home. He had walked around and run through most of the high points that was usually given by the tour director. When he got to the Kids Nook he lavished praise on the Bob Tablet. Unfortunately, the tablet did what we all know and expect from Microsoft products - it froze, then crashed.

Bill was furious and my boss was gone by the end of the week. The tablet maintained its place in the Kids Nook, but afterward it was only mentioned in passing.