this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2026
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Ah yes, Cortana and Copilot both suck, but surely third time's the charm. And when Scout is, inevitably, unpopular as well? We'll see what they call number four.
You forgot clippy, but everyone forgets about clippy unless it's in this exact context. Or it's Norfolk wizard game.
I can't believe I forgot Clippy...
Miss you, Tay
astoundingly racist, insulting reply
What about Microsoft Bob? Doesn't that count as their first attempt?
Clippy was basically an upgraded Bob kinda like how the old Jeep Cherokees are just upgraded Jeep Wagoneers.
Yeah "but not as annoying" lol. No idea what you mean about jeeps: I'm in the UK, and not a car enthusiast either.
The Cherokee and Wagoneer aren't distinguishable at first glance, the Cherokee was just an upgraded Wagoneer. That was my point Clippy was just an upgraded Bob with new coat of paint.
Is there any fundamental difference between Copilot and Scout, or is it just a straight up rebranding?
My impression is that scout is specifically going to be an agentic ai. Agentic ai platforms are supposedly a little more competent than chatbots, but still subject to the same llm chicanery and enormous energy usage.
It's hard to compare against copilot because MS has called a ton of distinct things copilot (see the diagram below).
I really hate that out of all careers, it's developers.
You forgot they called it Bing in the middle too
Cortana was actually really good on Windows Phone but they dumbed it down and added all sort of crap to it by the time it was integrated onto the desktop. They could've doubled down on whatads it good but nope.
@pycorax I second this, Windows Phone 8.1/10 was a godsend in a world of Android/iPhone duopoly (even if made by Microslop) and Cortana was smart enough to almost do everything you could ask of it (unlike the "couldn't understand what you said" or "calling Superfun New Toy From China" instead of "Super from Building A" that "AI" assistants of its time said).
@finalarbiter
"A little sign in here, a touch of wifi there..."
That's all I know of Cortana.
🔇
That’s Mambo No. 6
Not sure why that had to come on automatically at maximum volume every time, but the number of times I've finished backing up and re-imaging a computer at 3 AM, on to have her start hollering at the exact moment my head hits the pillow, is too damn many