Ctrl+Alt+Del is the most famous triptych in human history: the dreaded three-finger salute.
I was consulting at Prudential in Newark NJ, back in 1996, on system integration when they had cobbled together a system which integrated OCR, scanning, Solaris boxes for backup and retrieval of scanned images of documents, tape “juke boxes” and the desktop portion was deployed over a few thousand PCs with 25″ CRTs.
Unfortunately, the system was so delicate that we got to be experts at getting the users to wipe the disks clean, re-install the OS, re-install the software and restart their work.
The software for the desktop was so flaky, we would have been happy to have, and use, a three finger salute.
Unfortunately, networking was flaky, PCs were flaky, the apps were flaky and the entire system was composed crap written in C++ and VB tied together by bailing wire and held together with gobs of spit. (Literally, the users would spit at their screens when the ramshackle assemblage inevitably tipped over and descended into chaos.)
It is difficult for me to tell from the video if Bill Gates was actually pissed off but if he was, in fact pissed off, it would seem to prove fairly conclusively the man has never actually used a Microsoft operating system for more than a couple of hours.
“David Bradley was one of the twelve engineers who worked on the original IBM PC, developing the computer ROM BIOScode. He is credited by some for inventing the “Control-Alt-Delete” key combination that was used to reboot the computer.”
There was no (apparent) reason to turn the conversation like that and take a dig at Bill like that and Bill took it quietly like a gentleman. Here’s a nobody or someone who didn’t get what he think he deserved, in a forum where he’s got a chance to make a scene at anthers expense, and he does. Prob why we’ve never heard of him.
#5 msbpodcast – About that time, something similar to the system that you described was being used by courthouses for the displaying of images – instead of microfilm .
I don’t think Bill believes that it was made famous by the Windows NT login.
All those key combinations were so manufacturer-specific. They always seemed arbitrary to me.
There was a computer called a Sphere 1 that used CNTL-ALT-DEL before the IBM PC.
Seated to Mr. Bradley’s right is Dan Bricklin, the “father” of the spreadsheet program, specifically VisiCalc.
I never understood why you had to use it to get the log in screen. Why not just go straight into it? I had thought it was something that could not be replicated by code and had to come from a physical keyboard, and somehow that gave more security. Then I realized that was ridiculous and it was to get you to used it to it so you would also use it to log off/shut down.
Still, even with Windows 95 you still had do just turn the power off, I think I maybe had my work box shut down properly to “It is now safe” less than 5% of the time.
Bill not one to enjoy levity at his expense. Or anything at his expense.
You know what they say people who can’t take a joke can do? Yep.
So that guy speaking is David Bradley? Never heard of him, who is he?
Smithers, I want Wilford Brimley killed!
But sir, that’s not…
Just do it!
Ctrl+Alt+Del is the most famous triptych in human history: the dreaded three-finger salute.
I was consulting at Prudential in Newark NJ, back in 1996, on system integration when they had cobbled together a system which integrated OCR, scanning, Solaris boxes for backup and retrieval of scanned images of documents, tape “juke boxes” and the desktop portion was deployed over a few thousand PCs with 25″ CRTs.
Unfortunately, the system was so delicate that we got to be experts at getting the users to wipe the disks clean, re-install the OS, re-install the software and restart their work.
The software for the desktop was so flaky, we would have been happy to have, and use, a three finger salute.
Unfortunately, networking was flaky, PCs were flaky, the apps were flaky and the entire system was composed crap written in C++ and VB tied together by bailing wire and held together with gobs of spit. (Literally, the users would spit at their screens when the ramshackle assemblage inevitably tipped over and descended into chaos.)
It is difficult for me to tell from the video if Bill Gates was actually pissed off but if he was, in fact pissed off, it would seem to prove fairly conclusively the man has never actually used a Microsoft operating system for more than a couple of hours.
Ha! David Bradley was my magnetic fields professor! A little cocky but very smart.
#3 from Wikipedia
“David Bradley was one of the twelve engineers who worked on the original IBM PC, developing the computer ROM BIOScode. He is credited by some for inventing the “Control-Alt-Delete” key combination that was used to reboot the computer.”
“It is now safe to turn off your computer”
Smithers… release the hounds.
Jetfire thanks, but my point was that Gasparrini could have provided some details for context.
Ye olde three-finger salute!
The three finger salute allows me to tell you and two friends what you can be doing instead.
There was no (apparent) reason to turn the conversation like that and take a dig at Bill like that and Bill took it quietly like a gentleman. Here’s a nobody or someone who didn’t get what he think he deserved, in a forum where he’s got a chance to make a scene at anthers expense, and he does. Prob why we’ve never heard of him.
#5 msbpodcast – About that time, something similar to the system that you described was being used by courthouses for the displaying of images – instead of microfilm .
I don’t think Bill believes that it was made famous by the Windows NT login.
All those key combinations were so manufacturer-specific. They always seemed arbitrary to me.
There was a computer called a Sphere 1 that used CNTL-ALT-DEL before the IBM PC.
Seated to Mr. Bradley’s right is Dan Bricklin, the “father” of the spreadsheet program, specifically VisiCalc.
Someone needs to hire this guy for Windows Phone 7 development…
Bill Gates has a lot of admirable qualities. Unfortunately, adept social skills aren’t in the mix.
I never understood why you had to use it to get the log in screen. Why not just go straight into it? I had thought it was something that could not be replicated by code and had to come from a physical keyboard, and somehow that gave more security. Then I realized that was ridiculous and it was to get you to used it to it so you would also use it to log off/shut down.
Still, even with Windows 95 you still had do just turn the power off, I think I maybe had my work box shut down properly to “It is now safe” less than 5% of the time.
My first computer only needed two fingers on the keyboard to do a hard reset, and it was easy for me to touch those two keys accidently.
Bradley invented CTRL-ALT-DEL, but Bill Gates made it FAMOUS (OR INFAMOUS, DEPENDING ON YOUR VIEW OF THE PC !!!)