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Blogger Posts "I May Have Invented Control-Alt-Delete..." Video Clip
by , 2:45 PM EDT, July 27th, 2005
It may have happened a few years ago during a 20th anniversary gathering to celebrate the creation of the original IBM PC, but the video clip of programmer David Bradley saying "I may have invented Control-Alt-Delete, but Bill Gates made it famous" is now online via the MilkandCookies blog. In the video, Mr. Bradley explains how he came up with the now-infamous key combination and then tosses off the quip, which results in much laughter from all assembled, except Bill Gates. As Mr. Gates sits there with a flat look on his face, Mr. Bradley tries to salvage an awkward situation by explaining that he was referring to the Windows NT logon screen.
Mr. Bradley was a member of the team that created the original IBM PC. He developed the ROM BIOS code and came up with Control-Alt-Delete as a way for developers to soft reboot their computers instead of constantly hard rebooting them. It was originally Control-Alt-Escape, but Mr. Bradley was afraid that the user could accidentally reboot their computer if they bumped the left side of the keyboard. He didn't intend it for use by consumers, but IBM decided to include it in the PC's documentation because the company assumed that the public would also want a way to restart their computers, or switch between applications, without spending the extra time for a hard reboot.
Observer Comments
Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:08 pm Subject: If looks could kill!
wow, the invention of the only useful keyboard command in Windows.
well, maybe not the most useful, but at least the most commonly used
It's funny because 100% of windows users know how to force quit applications this way wheras I doubt 30% of Mac users know the command under OSX to do the same.
Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:40 pm Subject: The "Three-Finger Salute"
Wed Jul 27, 2005 4:45 pm Subject: BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!
Sorry to sort of steal the subject line from the last post, but nothing is more appropriate. I wonder who is really more tempermental - Billy G. or Stevie J.
Not only was this command universally necessary for the inevitable, repetative reboots of older Windows systems, but it was yanked for Windows NT and later, because they finally realized that it was a security risk.
To be fair, even though I think the Classic Mac OS was definitely superior to old versions of Windows, I many times wished that there was a way to reboot a hung Mac (especially under Mac OS 8), from the keyboard. As often as I had to reach for a paper-clip, when my old Performa 450 and original rev. iMac, (prior to installing OS X, of course), were totally hung up...
LOL you crazy people. CTRL-ALT-DEL wasn't removed. The architecture of Windows NT based operating systems is totally different that the old crappy 9x based ones. On NT-based systems the kernel architecture prevents application failures from bringing down the machine the way they could in 9x. So the old hit ctrl-alt-del to reboot doesn't apply on NT+. The only way the machine will get screwed is if the problem is actually in the kernel. But then you don't have to hit ctrl-alt-del cause the system will bluescreen for you! How convenient! It has nothing to do with security.
Although what does have to do with security is how M$ put ctrl-alt-del to work in the NT-based operating systems. Feel free to look up winlogon and GINA for lots of exciting details about that! <Yawn>
Wed Jul 27, 2005 8:22 pm Subject: The Truth Bites
You know, looking at the clip, there's absolutely no reason that Billy Boy Gates shouldn't be busting a gut himself... unless he himself truly believed that Windoze was a buggy, unreliable OS.
Kinda makes you wonder what OS Bill Gates really uses, eh?
Wed Jul 27, 2005 8:53 pm Subject: Keyboard restart/shutdown/etc commands
Remember in OS X you can
restart with Control-Apple-Eject
shutdown with Control-Option-Apple-Eject
sleep with Option-Apple-Eject
And of course Option-Apple-Esc brings up the Force Quit Apps window.
Don't know if they apply to a hung computer, mine never does.
---------
QuoteMOSiX Man wrote:
I many times wished that there was a way to reboot a hung Mac (especially under Mac OS 8), from the keyboard.
Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:12 pm Subject: And they was right!
A "hung" Mac! Must be the fresh cup of dark roast that I am drinking, but I just rememberd the line from Blazing Saddles and I started cracking up.
Charlie: "Bart they said you was hung!"
Sheriff: "And they was right!"
Quoterezonate wrote:
Remember in OS X you can
restart with Control-Apple-Eject
shutdown with Control-Option-Apple-Eject
sleep with Option-Apple-Eject
And of course Option-Apple-Esc brings up the Force Quit Apps window.
Don't know if they apply to a hung computer, mine never does.
---------
QuoteMOSiX Man wrote:
I many times wished that there was a way to reboot a hung Mac (especially under Mac OS 8), from the keyboard.
Tue May 16, 2006 10:59 pm Subject: Re: nah
QuoteAnonymous wrote:
someone said that only 30% of users on mac knows how to force quit app, maybe that is true, only because most of the mac users are absolutely not skilled in computers,
Define "skilled in computers". Just because someone doesn't use Windows does not mean they aren't "skilled in computers". I know many more people who are far more clueless on a Windows machine.
People who think Word is their operating system. Or Internet Explorer is (almost right there, though). Or that Windows is their web browser.
And people call Mac users elitist?!?
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