Clippy captivates Office XP audience

Through much of the fanfare, including music and flashing lights, Microsoft's banished "Clippy" office assistant kept the audience cheering at the Office XP launch.

After four years on-screen, Clippy, the little paperclip with the soulful eyes and the Groucho Marx eyebrows that politely offers hints for using Office software, was about to lose his starring role.

According to Microsoft, Office XP is so intuitive and easy to use that the Office Assistant function has become virtually obsolete, putting Clippy out of work.

Yet anyone installing Office XP will find Clippy and seven other animated assistants available with the new version. One of the assistants, Merlin, is featured during the Windows XP Beta 2 installation.

At the Office XP launch in New York, Microsoft employed the services of an actor who was dressed up as the talking paper clip. Clippy interrupted Microsoft chairman Bill Gates' keynote as Gates told the audience that Office XP is a very big milestone for all productivity workers.

"Today we let Office XP speak for itself. Clippy is the only star," Gates said.

The star told the audience that XP stands for ex-paper clip. After being dragged off the stage, Clippy continued to make several more appearances.

Gates gave Clippy his severance package, an Office XP T-shirt. "Windows XP is too easy. Nobody needs me," the paperclip said.