Bob & Gord:

Thanks VERY much for your replies.

It wasn't until you replied that you made me realize that what I was
seeing was a "Clipboard", not the "Task Pane".

They are in the identical position, so obviously disabling "Task Pane"
did nothing.

Furthermore, unlike many of Windows/Office's other hand-holding,
wizard like dialogs, it does NOT have a checkbox to let you turn it
off. You have to have the presence of mind to click on a button at
bottom to even see WHETHER it can be turned off.

All of which I violently disagree with.

I called this Clipboard pane "stupid" because, for me, it's no
different than that animated paperclip/help schtick that MS came out
with several years ago.

No one DIDN'T call that feature stupid.

But I guess it's something of a philosophical question as to whether,
when you introduce a new behavior, you turn it on or off by default.

My programmer friend just said he thinks the default ought to be ON;
otherwise how would you find out about it?

My opinion is the diametric opposite: Who the hell wants, say, the A/C
in your car to default to ON when you first get in, just to let you
know it's THERE?

Thanks both again.

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