Gates calls Ctrl+Alt+Del command a mistake

Bill Gates has described the decision to use Ctrl+Alt+Del as the command needed to log on to a PC as a mistake.

Originally designed to trigger a reboot of a PC, it survives in the Windows 8 operating system as the command to access the task manager toolbar and is still used in older versions to log on.

In an interview, the Microsoft co-founder blamed IBM for the shortcut, saying he had favoured a single button.

The keyboard shortcut was invented by IBM engineer David Bradley.

Originally he had favoured Ctrl+Alt+Esc, but he found it was too easy to bump the left side of the keyboard and reboot the computer accidentally so switched to Ctrl+Alt+Del because it was impossible to press with just one hand.

During IBM's 20th anniversary celebrations, he said that while he may have invented it, Bill Gates made it famous.

His involvement in the invention has made him something of a programming hero though- with fans asking him to autograph keyboards at conferences.

Finger strike

The shortcut, also known as the three-finger salute - came to prominence in the early 1990s as a quick fix for the infamous "blue screen of death" on PCs.
But speaking at a fundraising campaign at Harvard University, Mr Gates said he thought that it had been a mistake.
"We could have had a single button, but the guy who did the IBM keyboard design didn't want to give us our single button."
While some loathe the clunky command, others took to news site Reddit to express their fondness for it.
"I feel a single button would be a mistake," said one.
"There's a conscious commitment and in many cases a sense of satisfying sword play in executing the two-handed finger strike of Ctrl-Alt-Del."

Twitter Introduces Alert System For Disasters And Emergencies

I would say that this has been a long time in coming – Twitter, for all intents and purposes, could have a whole lot more potential, and that seems to be the direction that they are headed with the latest bit of news (and no, it has nothing to do with Twitter's IPO). Basically, Twitter claimed that they will work to assist users to receive special alerts from government agencies as well as aid agencies in the event of an emergency.

Those Twitter users who sign up will be on the receiving end of smartphone notifications via the Twitter app in addition to SMS text messages, although this does come with its very own caveat, that is, users will have to agree to hand over their cell phone numbers. The text messages received can be from any of the agencies that have already agreed to sign up with Twitter's program. Some of those who are part of this program include the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, Tokyo's Disaster Prevention service and the World Health Organization. Better late than never, and you cannot quite tell just how useful such an alert system would come in during those split second moments when the world around you as you know it is irrevocably changed