The parenthesis, better known as Ctrl+Alt+Del, is familiar to almost every computer user. Today, Microsoft founder Bill Gates regrets the key combination – and blames IBM for its creation.
Everyone has probably pressed this key combination before: Ctrl+Alt+Del. It took a long time to log into a Windows computer or to open the task manager. However, this key combination was never really practical, after all you need both hands to execute it. And in fact, even Microsoft founder Bill Gates sees it that way – today he regrets the introduction of the clamp handle.
Ctrl+Alt+Del was an “Error”
Already in one Interview at Harvard University In 2013, Gates called the clench a “bug.” He was later asked about it again at an event. Noisy “QuartzGates explained at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York: “Obviously, the people involved should have chosen a different key for this task.”
When asked if he regrets the decision today, Gates replied, “You can’t go back and change the little things in life without endangering others.” At the same time, he added, “Sure. If I could make one small change, I would put it on a key.”
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Designer at IBM is to blame
Back in 2013, Gates explained why we had to bother with the complicated Ctrl+Alt+Del key combination for years. He put the blame on a designer at IBM: “We could have had a single key, but the guy who uses the keyboard Design didn’t want to give us a single button.”
The “guy” who originally developed the combination to restart a PC is called David Bradley. He countered Gates’ statement in an interview: “I may have invented them, but Bill made them famous.”
In Windows 11, 10 and 8, the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del no longer plays a real role – partly because of the new login screen. However, it can still be used to access the task manager, for example. Even those who still know (or still work with) the older versions of Windows 7 or XP will use the parenthesis even more frequently.