LGR Tech Tales - Bonzi Buddy: A Spyware's Tale

[@VinesauceJoel]

Fantastic video LGR, odd how Bonzi was buried with hatred only to be embraced back with warm feelings. Well maybe not completely warm feelings.

[@LGR]

Lukewarm feelings, I think we can agree ;) Thanks for stopping by, Joel!

[@CobraSTWK]

I was expecting Joel to see this, lol

[@thetwistedsamurai]

DAD YOU HAVE ARRIVED

[@vinesauceobscurities]

Shouldn't you be doing Nippon stuff at the moment?

[@jpTankMan]

Well this is just amazing to witness. My two favorite channels together at last.

[@jangelelcangry]

Congratulations. your BONZI BUDDY evolved into CORTANA.

[@TheHordeQ]

And came with a consent form this time.

[@BlindMelonLord]

Hordequester oh my God… Thank you. Finally someone said it in this god damn comment section. Most of the programs today that quote on quote, “use your information” come with a form of consent. Unlike Bonzi buddy, The programs we use today, including but not limited to, Cortana, Siri, Google, Alexa, anything of that sort, basically asks you first for information. Instead of out right taking it without saying anything. Think of it as signing a permission slip if you will. And, if you don’t want anyone getting a hold of your information, you might as well not have any smart devices. Because everything we use nowadays gets information from us one way or another. All of you paranoid freaks get rid of your smart phones and laptops and other smart devices now while you can. Get rid of them all. If you want to live without being spied on, get rid of all the shit you have. Hell… I’m sure smart TVs even find a way to get your information in some way. Oh yeah… and I also forgot to mention, with assistance, especially Siri, you also forget, you can tell it what to access and what not to access in its settings menu.

[@ctse26]

Hordequester q

[@comicsans1689]

@Jesse Schmies Weird, I specified that I did not want Cortana in my Windows 10 Education and Pro installations, but the program runs in the background anyways, collecting information and hogging system resources. It even occasionally pops up trying to goad me into "enabling" it with promises of "keeping up with sports scores easily". If I try to end Cortana in task manager, it restarts itself after a few seconds. I remedied this by installing Windows 10 LTSB 2016, which has no bloat or Cortana spyware. Once Windows 10 LTSB 2016 becomes obsolete, I'm switching over to either Debian, OpenSuse, or Fedora Linux, because I've had it with Microsoft's bullshit. So much for "consent" huh...

[@ninjos9782]

*infinity war theme starts playing*

[@alexanderdrake2177]

"One time I farted so hard that my junk flew right off." - Bonzi Buddy

[@nonediblebrownie]

😂

[@papyrusthecatmeow669]

🤣

[@GooberThe4th]

What?🤣😂😆

[@Ratciclefan]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@dannybotepa]

My junk fell off.

[@prejdak]

Bonzi... the verb "bonzovat" means to tell things about you to people, who should not know them. A fitting name. :-D

[@ant.upptech]

@Melinda Rex it's from a slavic language. i'd say, from czech. i'm ukrainian and judging by the infinitive ending, it's czech. in our slang, Bonza is a big boss.

[@clubbasher32]

prejdak youre cool

[@wheedler]

Google Translate says Czech, but it doesn't give a translation.

[@bloatedpotato]

Wouldn't that translate to 'gossip' in English?

[@prejdak]

@@whatsallthebrouhaha This is a czech verb in a infinitive form and it is quite colloquial, I do not think it is common to run into it. :)

[@OldManTheseDays]

That effing thing was like a PLAGUE. My mom installed that and after spending hours getting it removed I wanted to go to their office personally and throttle whoever was responsible for that.

[@jhnldr-mrn4562]

My late mum just threw the old thing away and got a dell lmao remember those dollar a day adds

[@CalumHGaming]

Bonzi: Lets see what the Bonz can do to speed up (fuck up) your pc

[@doomslayer163]

Thankfully, I never had this issue. I remained loyal to my pal, Clippy. Clippy is the best friend everyone had, but no one deserved..

[@dracofirex]

I always used the rotating Earth assistant. It was the least irritating, lol.

[@haseenabadshah5381]

420 likes lmao

[@MrTheMighty]

I am 35 years old. I've been shopping at Wal-Mart my entire life. I don't think I can ever remember encountering an employee outside who tells you what's on sale.

[@90sNath]

Exactly

[@Charlotte-dc1xo]

Same

[@RicardoCastillo-jd20w]

Probably at a different Wal-Mart.

[@nopushbutton]

Also, Wal-Mart employees don't come home with you when you buy products to tell you, in your home, what's on sale

[@maxjacob7204]

Warning *Repeats again* Warning You've been Trapped in S.C.P 3008 Stupid Little Brother

[@Calvin_Coolage]

Somewhere in Sweden, a metalhead screams in terror, reminded of the memes he has brought into this world.

[@shimm0w0]

Not in Sweden, but in the streets of Tokyo.

[@Calvin_Coolage]

Shimmers Ah yes, how could I forget Joel is in Japan right now.

[@Eshanas]

It'll be on his grave. 'The necromancer of Bonzi Buddy'.

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

not to mention that walk cycle

[@leirex_1]

Since when did Joel move to Japan?

[@RRW359]

4:15 That's funny. Next your going to tell me that my winRAR trial won't actually end after 40 days.

[@KatTrapable]

Everyone knows the best interactive buddies were Rover and the kitteh, and.. maybe clippy. :3 Winrar counts as a buddy since it never leaves you.

[@wexoni]

Amazing video. Good job Clint

[@laharl2k]

I never understood why people install winrar when theres 7zip.....and ive seen people uninstall 7zipp just to install the trial version of winrar......ffs

[@MrLuc420]

Right? 7zip does everything winrar does in a non-intrusive and much cleaner way. I've had several rare files end up being corrupted and unusable with winrar. 7zip > winrar any day.

[@TheStevenWhiting]

If you've used winrar for years then 7zip takes a while to get used to. Did for me as never found it that user friendly.

[@Dosteyboi]

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Rover the dog. I didn't know how to use a computer so I'd push random buttons in hopes of getting him on the screen, it was awesome.

[@NumeroLetter]

I did the same with Clippy!!!

[@lonelyscarygirl]

I loved Rover too

[@EpicB]

I really loved the cat.

[@jovankabroz6858]

@@NumeroLetter SHAME

[@LOVE-iv2pw]

10 year old me: Gets Rover to do so many tricks that he glitches out.

[@strategos21]

If your being legally accused of a "diabolical scheme", your screwed

[@GandalfTheSilver]

Screwed until you start a new advertising business, I guess.

[@moy_moy85]

*you're

[@haseenabadshah5381]

,you're*

[@richardadamson1438]

You're comment made me laugh hard.

[@Miseric0rde]

"a dark cloud behind the silverback lining" good one

[@ccricers]

I find the funniest thing about Bonzi buddy discovering that the creators' last names are Bonzi. Before I just thought it was just a name they picked because it sounded like something you'd name a gorilla. Pity everyone else who have Bonzi as their last name. They probably got teased for it

[@polipod2074]

I think Bonzi is also an Italian surnames

[@Elaini-Gaming]

That's kind of stupid, creating a malware with your name on it.

[@Justme-qy6hw]

@@polipod2074 Italian and never heard of it in my life

[@polipod2074]

@@Justme-qy6hw Forse non è molto comune.

[@Justme-qy6hw]

@@polipod2074 probabile,sopratutto dove abito io

[@CrazyBorisProduction]

Adele can't hold a candle to the Bonzi Buddy cover of "Daisy Bell".

[@bibasik7]

A dell

[@catclonegamez]

Out of anyone didnt expect you to be here, lol

[@jozinek876]

Bonzi Buddy's text to speech singing is adorable :3

[@victordejesus2000]

Crazy Boris Productions hey I have seen your fnaf videos lol.

[@SonicVelocity_]

I see you everywhere

[@IgnatianMystic]

7:21 "COPPA" *HELLO, RELEVANT PRESENT-DAY KZbin ISSUE.*

[@AllyGatorAnimator]

You know what's depressing? Bonzi handled their lawsuit with COPPA better than KZbin. Though I suppose if Bonzi could find a way to throw somebody else under the bus and still collect kids info/aim ads at them, they would have done it.

[@Wolfiie]

They probably bribed their way out of the COPPA thing. Nowadays, everyone's after the money. I sound stupid, but that's just my guess..

[@TheDukeOfZill]

Google is more to blame really. Google has no right to be prompting users for their information, period. Just register a name, use a phone number to confirm, and be done with it. As for advertisements, Google has zero right to make money off KZbin. The law recognizes KZbin it as a platform which makes all the difference. Ads should be organic and user served, not corporate sponsorships.

[@CrimsonCreationAGM]

It pretty much resolved, KZbin is a globally used site so they’ve seem to have gotten the message that putting an american law upon users from other countries is not really enforceable, The amount of kid friendly content i’ve seen not labelled for kids and haven’t been affected by this tells me it’s not being enforced anymore

[@HudsonGTV]

@@TheDukeOfZill Google has *every* riggt to make money off KZbin. It is a private company. While it isn't necessarily moral to have targeted ads, they still gave the right to and either way, have the right to make money off of KZbin, whether or not that money is made off of ads.

[@ilanlaham6911]

"For the entirety of its existence, Bonzi Buddy remained free with that threat of a $40 version looming overhead" WinRAR would like to have a word or two with these guys

[@ThatLaloBoy]

**Laughs in 7zip**

[@katytis2012]

At least WinRar is an actually useful application and not a piece of shit spyware like bonzibuddy.

[@nick56677]

Just use 7zip. It's free, has all the pro features WinRar possesses and more.

[@CalumHGaming]

@@ThatLaloBoy lol 7zip ftw

[@thisisntausername5724]

Please note that WINRAR is not a free software. After your 40 day evaluation period, a task force will be sent to your location to commence your immediate termination.

[@yaj1v]

Sponsored by Bonzi Buddy's corpse.

[@BlueSatoshi]

#DicksOut for Bonzi Buddy

[@JacobCMayer]

BlueSatoshi Harambonzi Buddey.

[@CheezyDee]

Probably just a few primate looking bones in the middle of a corn field right now.

[@BlackBloodCombatClub]

O.O

[@nickp1987]

Oh God. In high school one of my favorite teachers was an older gent who really knew his particular field but...wasn't friends with technology. One day he had to give a presentation using power point or something on the computer and I saw he was using Bonzi Buddy to log into stuff. I had to just look away and not think about it, nothing I could have said would have done any good or changed his ways...

[@outdatedTV]

A positive side note is that back in the day Bonzi Buddy and my fight to remove it and all the GATOR Corp crapware that came with was a very important lesson for me in taking care of what is installed to my computer.

[@maximumrisk2004]

Luckily my Computer was so low on space, that as a Kid I used to reinstall it about every 4 months. So Bonzi wasnt a guest for long. XD

[@camwoodstock]

What's the GATOR Corp software? I've never heard of that.

[@amberbaum4079]

GATOR Corporation....Interesting. Never heard of them before. That topic would make a good tech tale video, especially since the founding members and the IT core team started working for other influential companies. Such as Apple.

[@OldManTheseDays]

TRUE THAT.

[@rifter0x0000]

Niklas Theelder The problem with that damned Gator was he got installed with almost anything else you might download. Often with no choice and sometimes without telling you. Even if you were told during the install it was easy to miss it as you kept hitting "next." After the Gator got notorious I thought maybe we'd see a reduction in that kind of trickery but not long ago I ran into some major software that snuck in the infamous "trial" McAffee and you'd have to be pretty careful not to end up with it. Pretty often the computer will insist this or that needs to happen and even if we don't think it makes sense we might groan and go along. That's the behavior those fake antivirus alerts capitalize on. Some go so far as to make outright threats of legal action against you or cutting off your internet access, and are pretty hard to get rid of.

[@minoanlight4545]

Early 2000s: People get pissed off because a piece of software collects their personal information. 2010s: Google does this on a much larger scale, and nobody bats and eye.

[@perkypears]

Problem is that google owns all of the biggest sites on the entire internet now. If youre using youtube you’re participating

[@kazmakazii]

I know this is a joke, but just in case *o k* *b o o m e r*

[@apoletestry3766]

That's Because google does it so much more quietly and quickly.

[@alphalilly8207]

Holy shit that's what I thought XDDD

[@Rockzilla1122]

@@kazmakazii this isn't a boomer opinion at all google stan

[@NataliesChatalie]

could you say that this was..... a BONZI scheme

[@nooterzootercrooter5105]

David Gerritzen no

[@Funkoh]

Luciano Nutu yes

[@nathanbritto9960]

Aaaaaaayyyyyy

[@doomslayer163]

Yes 👍 haha 😂

[@Dumb_Killjoy]

Punz

[@Qardo]

You know. For a man who is a lazy gamer. You do a lot of work.

[@romajimamulo]

Qardo it's kinda an ironic name at this point

[@TeruteruBozusama]

He apparently wants to change it, but is so used to calling himself LGR by now that he doesn't know what to change into without confusing people..!

[@romajimamulo]

TeruteruBozusama What about something else with the acronym LGR? Like Laser Grade Retrospectives?

[@TeruteruBozusama]

Romaji maybe..! Or perhaps: technoLogy is Great and Rad Liking Great Retrostuff Lanky Gamingstuff Retrospective Lol you Good old computer you still so Rad Lanky Mario Goes to the Races Lord of Games and Retro Lol Get Rekt Lgr Game Reviews

[@aveaoz]

which is why he renamed his channel from Lazy Game Reviews to LGR

[@humidbeing]

I made so much money cleaning this off computers in 99/00

[@JohnSmith-wx9wj]

It seems like a trap for those who aren't terribly computer literate.

[@Matthewsavant]

Same lol

[@Michirin9801]

8:38 It went so full-circle that every Windows 10 comes pre-packaged with a Diet Coke version of Bonzi Buddy...

[@LGR]

It is quite a thing that AI assistants are so commonplace now and have WAY more access than Bonzi Buddy ever did.

[@_me-ta-_3780]

It's funny that what was shockingly privacy-intrusive in 1999 is now completely normal and expected. Mobile apps are especially the worst for this. Yet people don't question why a flashlight app needs to have access to your contacts

[@laharl2k]

_me-ta-_ Last time i used windows98 i didnt need to give permission to access my contacts, account information, personal files, camera, and microphone just to put an animated wallpaper on my desktop :/

[@dan_loup]

Sadly the computer market got flooded by completely clueless people that allowed that to happen.

[@DaVince21]

Laharl Krichevskoy Yeah, instead access was uninhibited and malicious applications would just do it without your knowledge.

[@TheRealDustinNunn]

Before Bonzi Buddy became a malware/spyware virus, I loved Bonzi Buddy. He was so funny. I would pick on my dad by making Bonzi talk about my dad's stinky farts. LOL!

[@criptin4075]

I used to love this little guy too. He was the only thing me and my dad bonded over that existed on the computer/internet.

[@superdiego.g]

@@smeggiamagarwine sounds like a fetish

[@birdy369]

hell yeah and making him sing about that bicycle built for two

[@dupadupadoo69]

ahhhhh so thats why my parents bought a new computer in 1998....whoops

[@dumvi3176]

Amberite Arts that could just be a mistake or typo or memory mess up

[@1234abcd-i6b]

@Amberite Arts -_-

[@super1million11]

You should have installed bonzi buddy on the new computer

[@EposVox]

Now we just all assume and accept that voice assistants send all of our personal data and mic recordings online! WHOO

[@freshdefect]

WOOHOO

[@maxgaming7444]

WOOHOO

[@patchworrk]

just like the home assistants we have today

[@Champoy000]

Deep 😔

[@imaginaryfanboy]

Bonzi sounds too much like Ponzi. Now I'm worried Bonzi is involved in a Ponzi scheme with that damn Rover dog..

[@marumaru2105]

ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀʀʏꜰᴀɴʙoʏ It looks like you’re trying to uncover a conspiracy ~Clippy

[@isalt5]

Would you like some help? -Yes -No

[@DaVince21]

Even better: rover means robber in Dutch.

[@badtexture1062]

PLAYED US LIKE A DAMN CLIPPIT!

[@bobbobson110]

They should create their own cryptocurrency, the Bonzicoin.

[@spooty75]

Every time I see a new LGR video up it makes me smile and cheers me up. You have a way of reminding me of games and software from my past lost to aging memory and time, and you encapsulate them so well. Keep up the great work! (also your new camera setup is baller)

[@LGR]

Happy to hear it, Paul :)

[@DyaMetR]

"Hello I'm Bonzi, I've come to destroy your computer. But this time, it's an actual destruction." - Bonzi Buddy

[@PplsChampion]

2:00 the xp search dog is so adorable

[@tsm688]

it was !%$^ing infuriating windows 98 search was better than xp or now

[@JosephM101]

@@tsm688 Well, I firmly believe that any other search is better than Windows 10 search. Windows 10 search is just hot garbage. If I really wanted web results from Bing, I would be using Microsoft Edge right now.

[@Akfamilyhome]

E X P A N D T E C H T A L E This gon be gud.

[@cygeniks9509]

Love your vids. Keep it up.

[@sorurus7552]

I didn’t even know you watched LGR! Love your videos.

[@mergieismoronic]

+Akfamilyhome It actually was. And by the way I do love your videos as well.

[@LustigelGC]

950th like

[@adaiazaragoza.8631]

Water you doing here................... Hmm...

[@TheMangaka13]

"Some software is better left in the past, or at least a protected, virtualized version of it." ~LGR

[@RmnGnzlz]

The little cartoon sheep that spawned when you double clicked sheep.exe and ran around your windows and taskbar eating grass and stuff was the GOAT in 98/XP.

[@jasonblalock4429]

I dunno, when I think Sheep and Windows 98 I think of SheepVsGravity... kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6XYdmuvYpiDnck

[@RmnGnzlz]

Jason Blalock I meant this one. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXa8qotvfdmehsk

[@jasonblalock4429]

Oh yeah, I had those too for a short time. I just thought SheepVsGravity was funnier. ;-)

[@totally_not_a_skeleton-old]

"was the GOAT in 98/XP." No, it was the sheep.

[@patersonplays]

Thanks for both dragging up the happy memory of laughing uncontrollably while typing more and more lewd things for Bonzi to say as well as the painful memory I had repressed of having to format my entire drive thanks to this little purple bastard! Bonzi the bittersweet internet helper.

[@nytrodioxide]

"Bonzi buddy may not have EXPANDED as big as other memes..." :^)

[@cst1229]

E x p a n d d o n g !

[@benderbendingrodriguez6280]

GRAND DAD

[@CalumHGaming]

E X P A N D D O N G

[@AceTrainerX3]

C O M P L E T E L Y E R E C T

[@GatorRay]

@@benderbendingrodriguez6280 "BOOTLEG SUPREMACY! BOOTLEG SUPREMACY! BOOTLEG SUPREMACY!"-Grand Dad in the SMG4 video The Bootleg Dimension.

[@Rogue0DK]

Interesting how fast peoples sense of privacy has changed. What caused a big sh1t storm in 1999 with Bonzi is now completely acceptable with Windows 10.

[@TylerSteven9]

This stuff was cancer, I can remember it being on our school's computers in like 2002, because spyware was so easy to get then.

[@bigjoe4770]

They had it on fucking school computers?

[@takumiyamamiya8877]

I would be surprised if they were not. Often school staff might not be the most technosavvy people around

[@andrebrynkus2055]

I had to keep getting it off the computer I used in school around the same time. Another student kept putting it back on and asked me stop.

[@ARitzCracker]

Bonzi was ahead of its time. Now we've got things like cortana, google assistant, and siri. Always watching, always listening, (and in the case of google assistant) always serving ads.

[@_me-ta-_3780]

It's funny that what got a small company in hot water at the turn of the century is now so wide-spread. It's really a case of the boiling frog.

[@TheHordeQ]

It's not spyware if it's doing it openly. The very big difference with Bonzi is that it tried to fake window's alerts to get people to buy other products, tracked people without consent, sold that info to third parties without consent, lied about the pricing of the program, and then left spy software behind after uninstalling it. That has never been and still is not acceptable. Take a look at hostage ware if you want to see the unholy offspring of this abomination. People definitely give a shit.

[@techgeeknzl]

I want to like this comment; but it already has exactly 42 likes, and I don't want to spoil that 🤔.

[@AllGamingStarred]

2000: oh look a fun product, i'm going to potentially destroy my windows pc 2019: How do i remove Windows 10?

[@diamondman1543]

how to remove windows 10 step 1:get a hammer step 2:smash done

[@日本語を勉強する外国人]

Linux

[@matthewneuls796]

OMG this brought on strong nostalgic memories. I LOVED BonziBuddy for the fact he was interactive, sang songs, and told jokes.

[@deltib]

Hard to imagine there was a time when people got outraged about being data-mined.

[@flexmasterize]

yeah now people pay for the privilege willingly, when they should instead be outraged. but noooo, can't have a silly thing like data mining getting in the way of our insatiable addiction to internet connected gadgets

[@Tretij_rebenok]

@@flexmasterize yeah and most scream foil hat at you if you even mention giving a fuck about privacy... I swear this is the new trend. Everything is tin foil and as long as the majority believes it's true that's all that matters.

[@bananya6020]

world turning fahrenheit 451

[@slicedbread5568]

Yeet a beet, I've got to eat some meat

[@Champoy000]

Deep 😔

[@chartle1]

Bonzi Buddy and the like gave me a job for about 3 years. I used to do computer house calls and removing crap like this was 70% of my business.

[@MarkyShaw]

That is pretty damn fascinating. I was especially intrigued when I saw "Comet Cursor" on the paperwork you displayed as what I assume is yet another software title this company came out with. I had plenty of customers in the old repair shop with that software on their computers. The elderly folks loved being able to have different mouse cursors with animated dogs, suns, fart clouds, and things of the like. After a little Google'ing just now, I noticed that application also "phoned home" all sorts of personal information. But then it got me thinking of the days of old, when I used the program "Icon Do-It" for Windows 3.1 to have custom icons for my little programs. I don't exactly know why I went down that rabbit hole, but perhaps it has something to do with how folks loved to customize their desktop experience. Sucks that programs like this gave the whole industry a bad name because nowadays it seems like we have less and less ways of customizing our interfaces. But seriously, fuck Bonzi.

[@ahniandfriends123]

Comet Cursor was made by a company called MyWay. They were responsible for the infamous Smiley Central (smilies were the precursors to emojis) whose ads were spammed all over the internet (remember the one that would yell "Say Something!" with a circular robot replying "Wat?"). The company lasted much longer than Bonzi Software, only shutting down in 2014.

[@stillbuyvhs]

MyWay was just a homepage owned by the same folks as iEon, Ask, Teoma, & Excite. Also, it still exists, albeit in a watered down form.

[@stillbuyvhs]

iWon, not iEon. My bad.

[@susa.k.a.pinkguy2036]

i wouldent dare to download anything that fucks with my interface tbh,

[@bshpev]

I remember having actual trouble just uninstalling the program. I would uninstall, restart and find it re-installed on the pc. Evil.

[@wasd____]

"And because the ad servers shut down when Bonzi Software did, Bonzi Buddy itself doesn't really connect to anything at this point..." So you're saying I could buy the old Bonzi Buddy domains / IP addresses, stick my own server on them, and start quietly gathering up data again? Good to know.

[@DolganoFF]

Exactly my thoughts!

[@juankgonzalez6230]

God help us all

[@possiblyashrimp66]

nope they are already bought

[@TonyCross2255]

Well shit Lest buy it again

[@SlavicUnionGaming]

Winston Deleon good luck getting sued by the government and be living on the street, due to inflation the Government fines company’s over a million$ for violating coppa today

[@Moonbeam143]

This is bananas.

[@ClownDuck]

I hate you

[@Barfed]

😂

[@BrinIoca]

He really did it, the absolute madman.

[@fungusonus]

Brin Ioca ABSOLUTE MADLAD

[@VulpisFoxfire]

Oh s**t, there goes the planet.

[@TheFluffyDuck]

“Backdoor Santa”. Nope, I have a clean mind. Clean I tell you!

[@firestar3963]

id get it :((

[@chikindonkee]

I just don't understand one thing... who could dislike this dude's videos? They're awesome.

[@tonberryhunter]

You should do one on Napster and Limewire if you havent already.

[@renakunisaki]

KaZaA Lite was the shit!

[@willburns6129]

Ahh fuck i remember trying to download something and it was always an Indian dude yelling and it was labeled ad 'Bad-Micheal Jackson"

[@_plg]

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP YO mAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@may__dixierekt9722]

lollipop by lil Wayne on lime wire was hot shit

[@Elaini-Gaming]

If you do one on Napster, check out the Camp Chaos Metallica animations...

[@Akselmoi]

I remember seeing Bonzi on my grandparents old computer when I was like.. 5 years old? Then one day it was gone and I asked "where did the purple monkey go?" That was the day I learned about computer viruses.. :D Thanks for the video, this really *expanded* my knowledge. (I had to, sorry)

[@CWINDOWSsystem32]

These days, people willingly spend up to $400 on a speaker that has the ability to record everything that is said in their homes. Times have changed...

[@EiSaaPeittaas]

And putting up every minute detail about their thoughts and lives, complete with pictures and video on social media (advertisement) platforms. I recently re-watched some early X-Files seasons and reality really did turn out stranger than the 25 years old spooky conspiracy fiction.

[@Vitorruy1]

Emperor Katarn I was searching for an article I read a week ago, so I went to google activity where they track every single site I ever clicked and know that the subject of the site was about. They also know every single android app I ever clicked on my android 7.

[@thegreatcanadianlumberjack5307]

One of the few Reasons i avoid some of these Smart devices especially google home.... That thing is creepy

[@terrycoyle6864]

The problem is, it's only getting harder to find devices that AREN'T spying on you, to the point where a lot of people feel defeated and give up. It seems like you can't get anything that isn't connected in some way or another...

[@CWINDOWSsystem32]

Thegreatcanadianlumberjack Not as bad as the Amazon Echo Show, which is designed to be put next to your bed, but has a camera on it that's always on. Cameras are a whole new level of creepiness...

[@japhreal]

Coppa: saved kids from bonzi *_good time_* Coppa now: killing KZbin and sueing content creators

[@Number9Robotic]

ffs, COPPA isn't the one screwing creators over, it's KZbin/Google itself. The FTC's pissed at KZbin for doing tons of shady things that are blatantly illegal and privacy-invading, and Google is doing its best to frame the new, perfectly reasonable regulations as something punishing to make FTC look bad and save their own asses. They're basically weaponizing their history of poor communication to give deliberately false info, and you're eating it up like the dumbass Google thinks you are. COPPA isn't even a group that sues people! It's a fucking law!

[@hamzaal-izawi9242]

Japh urtecho youtube allows channels obviously targeted to kids to stay on this platform. and since a big thing about youtube is that it collects your data, this is a really bad thing. KZbin’s fault for purposely allowing these kids channels to stay on KZbin and not doing a thing. A big chunk of money comes from kids watching KZbin, which is why kids videos always have millions of views

[@anggahartoto]

9:09 Vinesauce Joel is everywhere

[@Mythbuster3808]

"Promoted by bonzi buddy's corpse" ahahaha

[@robintst]

Those pre-rendered 3D Microsoft Agent characters were so fugly, even back then. Rover was the least fugly though and oddly is still somewhat charming.

[@oz_jones]

Rover was the goodest boy

[@redwoodii6226]

Before I started my career in IT, my father had his own computer repair/sales shop. My 5 year old self even knew it was bad news.

[@subsoar5734]

This video has an eerie energy that I really think is done with this excellent music and theme. 10/10 Clint.

[@LGR]

Thank you!

[@duran6861]

Is it just me or does Bonzi Buddy and old Windows Versions creep me out? Even the error sounds give me chills.

[@pluv1e]

Visceral childhood fear of the computer doing something wrong and fearing the wrath of your parents because you might have broken the compter

[@duran6861]

@@pluv1e Lol!

[@cz8797]

"silverback lining" i see what you did there LGR

[@nickp1987]

It is also kind of funny (read: sad and distressing) that there was a big kerfuffle about this collecting personal information and spying on you back then while these days most people walk around with smartphones that actively know your location at all times and are totally cool with the GoogleFaceTwitterTubes knowing everything they do or look at online.

[@moonfeathertheshiny5942]

Google, Facebook, Twitter and KZbin don't ask for your postal code or your exact address, lol.

[@StraytheSkies]

i want bonzi buddy to narrate my life

[@thebenexperience]

And so the hero who would go on to have his wish granted was born

[@Cyber_Horse_Studios87]

BonziI Buddy: Violates Coppa and gets labeled as spyware. KZbin: Has Coppa mess the app up even though KZbin kids exists.

[@CrimsonCreationAGM]

Coppa 2000s: *stops bonzi from collecting underaged data* Coppa late 2019: *causing havoc on youtube* Coppa on youtube 2020: *ight imma head out*

[@FyberOptic]

I'll never understand the opportunistic nature of some people. The blatant lack of decency in the pursuit of money is really astonishing.

[@LimeyLassen]

I hear "Santa Something, California" and that tells me all I need to know.

[@ahniandfriends123]

To be fair, this happened during the dot-com boom, investors were just piling money onto anything that seemed like a good idea on paper. At least Bonzi Software told people straight up what they are going to do with people's private information. They could have gone the way of Conducent Technologies and told people that they didnt read the ELUA hard enough, which didn't specify what the program actually does to people's data.

[@smashSpikeMC]

cortana and windows 10 nuff said

[@britishteacat]

“They made a god damn Diet Coke bonzi buddy”

[@Luckysquirrel1256]

Cortana isn't purple, BIG difference.

[@TintelFruit]

*Hears faint screaming from Japan*

[@storm99_]

Tintel GODDAMN IT TINTEL YOU DUTCH FUCK

[@lucky88shp]

DAAMMNN man...you are awesome! Nostalgia much...Fall of '99, the late 90's was a golden time!

[@fratercontenduntocculta8161]

I remember all of that predatory stuff, back in the days of the dreaded popup. Specifically the self-installing toolbars.

[@obsessedwithotomegames3788]

That's how I fried my old HP computer.

[@travosk8668]

Have you ever tried to destroy a Virtual Machine?

[@Mario583a]

Joel has. kzbin.info/aero/PLR_4pTc1KGS5bpwj4kepUkK30b_mr2MXf

[@TheTomimt]

I remember when every public computer I saw was infested with Bonzi Buddy. School, libraries, you name it, the computers on general use were infected with it and it was really hard to remove as well.

[@canoshizrocks]

One time I farted so hard my junk flew right off.

[@jozinek876]

lmao what a joker

[@bappo153]

I like how joel doesnt just comment "bonzi buddy? You mean hell" and instead writes an essay

[@markstoyreviews6641]

i don't know why, but the smell of my DVD cabinet is very nostalgic to me. I almost never look for movie discs anymore, but when i open that cabinet, i almost start crying. I suddenly remember all the times i looked through there for my favorite movies, helping my brother re-organize the cabinet. I also remember the sound of Disney's opening playing when we would put in Cinderella for like, the hundredth time just to see the ending scene. it's a good smell, too. like carpet mixed with lint. that sounds weird, but i don't know how else to say it.

[@Saved_Sinner0085]

Why you gotta put on blast like that, Clint?! I was known as quite a bit of a "backdoor Santa" myself in high school!

[@_plg]

Microsoft Agent is actually a pretty cool thing, I usually install it on any personal computers I at the time own. MASH is recommended for anyone who likes Microsoft Agent.

[@SleepNeed]

Since I was the computer expert in my family, I had to deal with Bonzi Buddy (and at least 20 toolbars...) when my sister complained about how slow her laptop became. Wanted to punch that purple gorilla after all the trouble he gave me...

[@Sciron]

_So what information do you want to keep?_ Bonzi Buddy: *Yes*

[@andrebrynkus2055]

I remember this thing. In high school there was a classroom filled with high end Macintosh computers that we learned video editing and CG animation on. So I'd have a few classes a week in there and other students during other times. One of the guys that used my computer in another period kept installing this thing and I kept taking it off. The thing slowed down my work but thankfully this was the old days when virus programmers and spammers weren't really great with Apple stuff yet and I could get rid of it pretty quickly. The guy kept installing it and at one point even wrote a text file on the desktop asking me to stop. My work was more important than his fun on the net in class.

[@XanderLuciano]

Woah I live in the same city as their office. Never thought I'd hear Clint say the name of my city. I'm super curious about this company now though (it's a fairly small college town), might have to go stop by their office and see what they are up to.

[@muichirotokitou2615]

Xander Luciano did you actually do it?

[@joshi9205]

Did you actually do it? (Keep the chain going)

[@nytrodioxide]

Did you actually do it?

[@jacobgutierrez9642]

Did you actually do it?

[@GuardianTam]

Did you actually do it?

[@MathieuGuimondMorganti]

Are there non-malicious virtual pets for modern versions of Windows? I kinda miss the good old days of MyFelix the desktop cat, BonziBuddy, that cute little golden retriever puppy whose name I forgot, etc.

[@LendriMujina]

Mathieu Guimond-Morganti There's something called "CyberBuddy" that does use MS Agent like they did. You can even use the original character files for Bonzi and Rover if you can find them, or even the Microsoft Office Assistants, since they're all standard .ACT files. It doesn't have quite the same functionality as the originals did, but I loaded my installation up with phrases from the "Talking Moose" from classic Macs.

[@OrcBane88X]

Back when people cared about privacy online

[@odonnelln]

Now we willing sign away our lives

[@alyson_l27]

Iisten here if someone watches me look at mental illness memes, cats pictures and makeup vidéo... They have no life

[@AlexisTwoLastNames]

i feel like i’ve watched this video about three times. your content has watchability for sure.

[@snazzy9175]

Hearing about Bonzi Buddy's fake error/virus pop-ups reminds me of when I was little. I used to play on a lot of those dress up flash game websites (some were a bit sketchy, and now since they're kind of my guilty pleasure I just use Girls Go Games), and they were LITTERED with those ads. They weren't really pop-ups, but they said things like "your computer may have a virus!" Without much indication that they were an ad. They really scared me!

[@RealMrVideo]

well hello there , i cant believe we've been properly introuduced

[@sheepsnoopshep]

1/10 was expecting Bonzi to narrate this.

[@eusouumcesar]

Clint needs to do a remaster with Bonzi as narrator.

[@DJPonychan18]

Here’s my experience with bonzi buddy: My aunt had bonzi buddy on her work computer and I was visiting one time at the age of like 6. All the sudden on the screen this purple gorilla says “hello Ponychan.” And I was blown away. Fast forward to now, and I find out that it’s a spyware program.

[@savedbygrace2397]

One of my co-worker’s workstations was infected with this in 2000, and I was expected to do tech support as part of my “other duties as assigned” job description, so I had to help him clear it up, but it still makes me laugh how tenacious this thing was, and how he reacted. Thanks for the memories!

[@savedbygrace2397]

In fact, I just talked to this guy on the phone not 30 minutes ago. Next time I have lunch with him, guess what topic I’m going to bring up? 😂

[@PKMNFan4664]

4:36 That singing voice reminds me of Tomodachi Life.

[@angelpichu1]

My mom used BonziBuddy back in 2002. now, the memories of it are a little fuzzy because I was about 5 at the time, but I think it was installed on a windows ME machine. And if that's the case, that's a match made in bad software heaven if you ask me.

[@BananaFaceDude56]

nice picture

[@McIntec]

Haha! I was wondering when you were going to do a video about Bonzi Buddy 😉

[@nicklager1666]

I didnt know Stephen Hawking was such a huge fan of Bonzi.

[@alexvar10]

Nick Lager That was a bit cruel, but funny 😂

[@hazardoushumanoid6804]

that thing you see him type on is really just a small emulation of windows 98 with the bonzi program installed

[@nicklager1666]

really that is kind of cool. I just found that the Electronic voice were so similair to Hawkings so that is why i made the comment.

[@Clouditivity]

SHIT LOL

[@_jmeg_3436]

Damn it! Beat me to the punch! lol

[@GamerSlayer5000]

One of the smoothest intros I've seen in a while

[@PavusthePug]

Everyone: How dare Bonzi Buddy steal our info and advertise all this garbage to me. Everyone now: Okay Google, Hey Siri, Cortana, Alexa!

[@CaptainMangles]

one time i farted so hard that my junk flew right off.

[@dyrpyn96]

I liked and its at 69

[@dooble7642]

Everyone hated bonzi buddy but now people love him as a meme.

[@master_matthew]

I prefer diet coke bonzi buddy

[@pswitch9553]

Nice hiss. -Steve1989

[@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaa]

go away

[@CallMeFreakFujiko]

He IS Dr. Pepper!

[@DemonicAkumi]

I never hated Bonzi Buddy and missed using him. Only used him for talking, singing, and jokes. I don't recall ever getting popups on the computer when Bonzi was running on the computer either. I do though remember having to register and putting info on there, but the family put fake into on there so... yeah, lol.

[@SyxxPunk]

It's things like this that make me happier that the most I'd customize my desktop with was the Shimeji programs.

[@desolatorXT]

Waiting for LGR Tech Tales: ATI Technologies Inc.

[@bluedragon9925]

More like LGR Tech Tales: Desktop GPU's In General. Thanks to those freakin' Bitcoin crypto miners, even Nvidia's lower-end graphics cards have become *significantly* more expensive than they should be. If the Bitcoin fad doesn't die soon, PC gaming as we know it today will be d-e-a-d *dead...*