Bill Gates Admits Control-Alt-Delete was a Mistake
Sep 26, 2013
by Natalie Abrams


Ever find it difficult to log in to your computer? Bill Gates understands that feeling since most PC users have to Control-Alt-Delete to do so — something that was actually a mistake.

"We could have had a single button," Gates said Saturday at a fundraising Q&A at Harvard University. "But the guy who did the IBM keyboard design didn't want to give us our single button. ... It was a mistake."

Still, Gates points out that the early days of innovating computers were about making them functional. "We did some clever stuff," he said. "We were able to experiment with a lot of stuff, but more on the software side than the hardware."

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Bill-Gates-Control-Alt-Delete-1071353.aspx

the whole idea was that it was supposed to be something that couldn't be emulated remotely

i can hit that combo with either (single) hand without even thinking about it on any full-size keyboard

You had one job.

Hmm. I have a PC but don't need to use control-alt-delete to log in.

Hmm. I have a PC but don't need to use control-alt-delete to log in.

You can set a PC to log in automatically into Windows...that might even be the default setting on PCs sold in stores... but most work places that incorporate some type of security into their networks do require a Ctl-Alt-Del before it takes you to your sign in screen.

Haha that's great

Imagine those negotiations...


Gates: We want a single button to log on

Keyboard Designer: Nothin' doin' If I give YOU a single button, then I gotta give EVERYBODY a single button...

Gates: Do you realize who you're talking to? I'm Bill Gates!

KD: Yeah, and I'm the guy who designs the keyboards.

Gates: Oh yeah??

KD: Yeah!!!




...on and on it went