Bill Gates: Microsoft's Co-Founder Blames IBM for Control-Alt-Delete
Modern day technology has given users the power to make their devices do something with a tap on a single key. This is something that Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates took special note of during this year's Bloomberg Global Business Forum. According to the billionaire, the control-alt-delete function, which brings up the Task Manager, should have been made accessible through one simple press instead of three.
CNN reports that this is not the first time that Gates has bemoaned the control-alt-delete function. Back in 2013, Gates blamed IBM for the mishap. According to him, the person who had been in charge of developing the keyboard at that time refused to give Gates and his company the button that would help users access the Task Manager without having to use two hands.
Furthermore, the control-alt-delete function was never meant for universal use. It had been a shortcut for the developers as it allowed them to reboot Windows as they worked on the software itself. Unfortunately, the control-alt-delete function was found on an IBM reference manual, and word of its use quickly spread like wildfire among programmers.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Meanwhile, Ars Technica noted a few things in Gates' statement in 2013 and the one he made during the forum. The control-alt-delete was supposed to be control-alt-esc. But IBM engineer David Bradley found that problematic as users can accidentally press all three keys by putting one hand on the left side of the keyboard. Control-alt-delete was the solution to the problem, and Gates should not blame IBM for that mistake. Instead, if Microsoft has really wanted to get their single button, the tech giant should have made it happen themselves.
Today, Microsoft no longer uses the three-finger command to reboot their computers. However, the public found that it was easier to access the Task Manager through the control-alt-delete combination. As much as Gates does not like it, fans still use it, especially in times when their computer lags or freezes.
