Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates admitted that using the Ctrl-Alt-Delete function to reboot Windows systems could have been made simpler.
On Wednesday during a discussion at the Bloomberg Business Forum, on which Gates was a panel member, he said, “The IBM PC hardware keyboard only had one way that it could get a guaranteed interrupt generated. Clearly the people involved should have put another key on in order to make that work.”
“If I can make one small edit I’d make that a single key operation,” he admitted.
This is not the first time the Microsoft co-founder has talked about this particular function with regret. During a 2013 fundraiser at Harvard University, he stated that the company could have done better. Gates admitted it was possible to have a single button for the function, but the person who designed the IBM keyboard did not want to add a button.
At a media event previously, David Bradley, one of the creators of the IBM PC, once said that although he invented it, it was Bill Gates who made it famous. The Microsoft co-founder was present at the event where Bradley said this, notes Business Insider.
Today, Microsoft is looking to transform Windows 10 in such a way that it can be customized according to the device on which it is running. The development is being referred to as Andromeda internally at Microsoft. Rather than offering different versions of Windows 10, such as desktop Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile or Windows 10 IoT Core, there will be just one version of the operating system which will be completely modular, notes Techradar.
Windows Central suggested that Andromeda will go live on mobile devices first, such as phones, tablets and maybe even wearables, and will debut sometime next year. Rumors indicate that Andromeda will first be rolled out to the Surface Phone, but nothing is confirmed for now.
Microsoft’s journey with Windows 10 has not been as smooth as the company was expecting because the OS failed to garner the love of users. Issues such as freezing were reported widely by PC users who updated to Windows 10 at the time of launch.
Entering the third year of this version of the OS, the Redmond-based company has made some changes that are supposedly more user friendly. Microsoft believes the problems arise because there is a diverse range of PCs, and therefore, it becomes a little challenging to test every combination of hardware and software to identify issues.
John Cable, Director of Program Management for Windows Servicing and Delivery, stated that the company is focusing on deploying Microsoft’s telemetry information and testing with OEMs to make sure that their PCs are compatible with upgrades.
Cable stated during an interview, “We won’t roll out [a feature update] until we are certain you will have a positive experience,” Cable told ZDNet.
Microsoft now is more focused and selective about the launch of the Creators Update and Fall Creators Update. With the telemetry data, it should be possible to identify the apps, hardware drivers and firmware which can face some glitches.
