BonziBUDDY

BonziBUDDY, sometimes spelled Bonzi Buddy, BonziBuddy, or BONZIBuddy, (misspelled Bonzai Buddy) was an on-screen "intelligent software agent" from BONZI Software, released in 1999 and discontinued in 2005. The official website stated it would help a person explore the Internet through various functions along with their own sidekick. It first surfaced as a green talking parrot, before taking the form of an animated purple gorilla that resided on a user's desktop and communicated through the employment of Microsoft Agent technology.

BonziBuddy received wide recognition as malware, predominantly as a piece of adware, though claims of spyware capabilities have been made against it.[1]


Overview

The software used Microsoft Agent technology similar to Office Assistant,[2] and originally sported Peedy, a green parrot character, before it became the purple ape.[3] The software "interacts with users while they are online, providing shopping advice, jokes, and trivia."[4]

At one point, the official website for the application said this about it:

He will explore the Internet with you as your very own friend and sidekick! He can talk, walk, joke, browse, search, e-mail, and download like no other friend you've ever had! He even has the ability to compare prices on the products you love and help you save money! Best of all, he's FREE! [5]

The initial program was free. But most functions in the free version were only samples or demos that would urge people to pay for modules to extend the functionality. For example Bonzi told jokes and sang songs, but to go beyond a few jokes and songs (about half a dozen) users were urged to purchase joke or song modules.

Source