Packard Bell Navigator 3D

31st March 2020

In the 1990s, computer manufacturer Packard Bell not only made computers but also their own operating systems.

I should know as I had a Packard Bell computer as a kid.

Packard Bell computers back then came with Navigator, an operating system designed as a house. To open a program, you had to go to the room it was in (the office, the library, or the children's playroom) and then click on the icon. Forcing you to navigate a house before you could open a program wasn't efficient but it was fun.

What I didn't know until recently was that in 2000, Packard Bell made a final attempt at an operating system. They called it Navigator 6.0, otherwise known as Navigator 3D.

It was an OPERATING SYSTEM that was A THREE DIMENSIONAL HOUSE YOU WALKED AROUND IN. Now. That might sound cool at first. If someone calls you, you can say, "I'm just hanging out in my virtual house." Who doesn't want a virtual house? But just imagine how much harder it would be to use your computer. Want to open Microsoft Paint? In Windows, it's no problem. Just click it from the Start menu. But in Navigator 3D, you have to WALK TO A ROOM OF A VIRTUAL HOUSE FIRST, walking past VIRTUAL WINDOWS (and doors and walls) instead of actual Windows, just to open Microsoft Paint. Christ. At that point, it's easier just to get out art canvasses in real life and make a real painting.

Here's a YouTube video of it:

Imagine if we were all using Navigator 3D instead of Windows. How much slower everything would be. Office workers using Navigator 3D to launch programs instead of the Windows start menu. What was Packard Bell thinking? Did they think this was a good idea? To make an operating system that was as inefficient as possible?

I imagine myself having this conversation with my friend:

"What the fuck is this shit? Don't you have Windows installed?"

"Yep, I have windows, doors, walls, floors, everything."

Patio

Apparently, and I'm just going off some niche website here, when Navigator 3D launched, you would find yourself in a patio. This patio acted as the central hub. It had doors leading to different rooms, and each room represented a different category of software. It was also possible to access the Internet by leaving the house from the back door or by touching one of the globes scattered around the house.

Compass

Clicking on a compass would display a map of the house. When you clicked on a room on the map, you could teleport to that room. That's actually quite useful. It means you don't have to walk from one side of a virtual house to the other just to check your email.

Living room

The living room had links to software that allowed you to play DVDs, create videos and edit photos.

There was also a television which would play a video when clicked on. Unfortunately, there was only one video available and it was always the same in each room. I don't know what video it was but I'm guessing it was a porno tape like Busty Big Tits XXX.

Children's space

In the children's space, there were video games and educational software.

You could also play the drums. That is, until your dad shouts, "Turn that racket down!"

Library

The library, unsurprisingly, contained educational software.

Office

The office contained productivity software and Internet applications.

Workshop

The workshop held maintenance software and tools such as Smart Restore. It's a pretty cool idea actually. It's a simulation of a workshop that runs in your computer that acts as a real workshop that helps you fix your computer.

If your computer really does break though, you wouldn't be able to access the virtual workshop to fix it. You'd just have a dead computer. So maybe Packard Bell should have included a real workshop with every computer they sold, in case something like that were to happen. And a maintenance man too, who would stand in the corner all day, waiting for the off-chance that your computer breaks and he can finally do something to break the monotony of his existence. Of course, Packard Bell would also have to include food for the maintenance man to eat as well as a chef to cook it for him. And the chef's family too, of course. And you'd also need a second chef to cook food for when the first chef has days off, as well as toys and games for their families. Then again, maybe they can all just play the games included on your computer. When you're not using your computer yourself that is, of course.

Conclusion

Overall, it's definitely a unique operating system but it also sounds insanely inefficient. For that reason, I'm awarding Navigator 3D the title of World's Most Bonkers Operating System.