SlashNOT

Matthew writes: A copy of Microsoft Bob signed by Melinda Gates has been stolen from the Microsoft Museum of Microsoft, located directly under the Microsoft Employees Store in building 27 North at Microsoft’s Redmond campus. The piece is considered irreplaceable because while tens of thousands of copies of Microsoft Bob were printed, nobody else seems to have a copy.

Museum Curator Alfred Hickock (formerly of the Hormel Museum of Spam ) had this to say: “Microsoft Bob is unique. While millions of copies of Windows 3.11 for Workgroups still exist in their original boxes, it seems that nobody has retained a packaged copy of Microsoft Bob. That’s what makes this theft so heartbreaking. Children just won’t be able to see what kind of impact Bob had on the industry.”

Late breaking news: A copy of Microsoft Bob suddenly appeared on Ebay, in new sealed condition. Acting on a tip, Police raided the home of a Quebecois dealer in software antiquities and found the copy stolen from the Microsoft Museum. Also recovered were two OEM copies of Windows 2.0, a copy of MS-DOS 2.11, and a Picasso featuring a cubist rendition of a woman whose eyes resembled juxtaposed floppy disks.