Clippy really ... wasn't bad? It mostly stayed out of your way, occasionally showed a button to perform a useful task, and could interact with the help system without having to click through 3 menus.

It wasn't a panacea but it was at least positive-value, unlike most current AI.

the meme of "omg, clippy sucked and was sooo annoying" has overshadowed the actual level of annoyance from back in the day.

nobody used clippy, but nobody expressed vitriol. you just easily dismissed it and went on with your business.

I never got value from him