04.Secret History of Microsoft Bob

Dave's Garage tells the story of Microsoft Bob, the 1990s social-interface product, and the hidden way Bob data was used in Windows. David Plummer, who added it, explains how and why he used it to give Windows CDs unique data.

HN people link it as the first-hand account of the Bob episode from the engineer who did it, mostly in threads on Windows activation.

“It was added by David Plummer, who explains how and why he did it.”