# Bill Gates, what the FUCK were you thinking? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 9, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997 "2003-03-09T00:47:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/61 "2003-03-13T15:06:58Z")
Ctrl+z works for me in Word, IE, Opera, Wordpad, Excel, Access, and just about every program I have ever used, ever. In fact, what annoys me is that some applications don’t have Ctrl+a to select all. I’ll buy Doom if I want to play with the mouse. Give me keyboard shortcuts! The OP reminds me of what happens when you delete a file. You then get a warning that “do you want to delete this file?” which of course **isn’t** deleted but only goes to the recycle bin. Which, if you want to empty, warns you AGAIN. At some point, you must just accept the fact that you will make fucking mistakes, and it is **always** your fault for doing so. A fucking warning box telling you you just selected a bunch of text and are about to delete it? Do you even _use_ a computer for anything? This action needs to be done all the time, and you want to give me some fucking “OK Cancel” box every time I reconsider an email, a document’s paragraph, or a post? Whatever, man. Now I know why Windows has so many “helpful” features. Pretty soon I’ll have to have confirmation “Are you sure you wanted to hit the ‘d’ key without shift?” and it will take me fifteen minutes just to type my name. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/62 "2003-03-13T16:48:12Z")
No, **eris**. If you delete a file from a network server then it is _gone_, unless the server admin has set the network settings otherwise. Which was not the case when I did it, as I learned to my cost. And ctrl-z doesn’t work either. All you have is that box that asks you if you’re sure. And since it defaults to the “yes” setting, if you happen to fat-finger delete and return simultaneously then you are _toast_. Similarly, if you press delete then “y”, you are toast. There is no way back. I agree that keyboard shortcuts are the only way forward. I don’t agree that every design setting of every shortcut is flawless. In fact, I’d think it pretty extraordinary if they _were_ flawless. Certain consequences are way out of proportion to the crime. It will not be a smear on anybody’s masculinity – nor, for that matter, their geek-rating – to admit this. pan ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/63 "2003-03-13T16:50:09Z")
Incidentally, I do agree that having a confirmation box for deleting text is a pretty fucking stupid idea. Keep the confirmation boxes for the serious decisions **and make sure that they don’t fucking well default to “yes”!** pan ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/64 "2003-03-13T17:29:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > \*\*You have to admit though, “pantronising” is a fantastic word. > > But I just want to get this on record - you think that 2 fat-fingerings in **ten years** is worthy of contempt? Bearing in mind that you will be spending 8 to 12 hours a day every day, 5 or 6 days a week working with these files. > > Suppose that is 100 file manipulations a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks per year for 10 years. That makes 250,000 file manipulations. 2 in 250,000 is an error rate of 0.0008%. I believe that’s not even make six sigma. But you think that it unacceptable. Right. > > pan \*\* Pantronising is a kick-ass word, and with your permission, I will make it a point to use it at least once a day in n SDMB post. Hell, nobody will know what it means, so they can’t correct me. kabbes- you obviously take much pride in only fucking up 2 times in five years. Far be it for me to shit all over your party, dude. You’re the man, you rock on the keyboard, you are Geek-Supreme. I bow down to all that is geeky and pannish. Speaking of affecting masculinity…christ, you’d think I cut your heart out with a fucking knife. Either way, this thread is about text fuckups and The Ryan, not you. I “apolologize” for wounding your pride. Rationalize your error rate all you like with Sigma-ratings, but there’s no reason to-I don’t think anyone thought less of you for your errors. Sam ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/65 "2003-03-13T18:08:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > If you delete a file from a network server then it is _gone_, unless the server admin has set the network settings otherwise. So I think you have the answer to your problem, eh? 😉 > [@](#): > > All you have is that box that asks you if you’re sure. And since it defaults to the “yes” setting, if you happen to fat-finger delete and return simultaneously then you are _toast_. Well, yeah. The point of keyboard shortcuts, you realize, is to do things quickly. If you want to put stops to having them work, then you defeat the purpose of ever even having them in the first place. > [@](#): > > I agree that keyboard shortcuts are the only way forward. I don’t agree that every design setting of every shortcut is flawless. In fact, I’d think it pretty extraordinary if they _were_ flawless. Certain consequences are way out of proportion to the crime. I love all of them, and wish more people took more time to integrate them into their system, with appropriate tab stops being the most important. Browsers and HTML sorely lack this capability. > [@](#): > > It will not be a smear on anybody’s masculinity – nor, for that matter, their geek-rating – to admit this. No one is denying mistakes can, and are, made. It is the method of keeping them in check that is in question, IMO. \And damn it, have I been missing you in GD or what?! I have an insurance thread I’d like to start but maybe you happen to know offhand if there is a sort of “FAQ for stoopids” on how insurance works? I enjoyed your contribution to a recent pit thread (among others) but it is an uphill battle ignorance-wise and I recently became very upset with my insurance company. Anyway, ok, watch those typing skills 😉 \ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/66 "2003-03-13T20:36:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by erislover \* > A fucking warning box telling you you just selected a bunch of text and are about to delete it? Do you even _use_ a computer for anything? No, I want **some** indication of what happened. When this happens, it happens so quickly that I don’t even see the text being selected. It just goes “poof”. SPOOFE: it’s odd how you can accuse me of being brainless while making completely absurd statements. For instance, you seem to be saying that the minutiae of typing consist of nothing more than knowing that there’s a relationship between hitting a key and a symbol appearing on the screne. And then you mention that macros are not sentient. And oranges grow on trees. What does this have to do with anything? Are you claiming that nonsentient entities can not cause anything? GaWd: does this mean that Windows is logging my keystrokes? Is there a way I can directly access this file? ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/67 "2003-03-13T21:01:57Z")
> [@](#): > > GaWd: does this mean that Windows is logging my keystrokes? Is there a way I can directly access this file? Nope, it’s not “logging keystrokes”. It simply keeps deleted text on the “clipboard” until it’s over-written. It’s to keep people from deleting their text and then crying out nasty words at the computer God, Bill Gates…sorta like you did. 🙂 Sam ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/68 "2003-03-13T22:13:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GaWd \* > Dammit, I undid my WHOLE fucking post trying to make sure I was right. > > Looke, type anything, goddamned ANYTHING. Select it using ctrl-a or the mouse. Then either delete it, or type through it, or whatever. ALT-BACKSPACE will save your ass in a blow-by-blow un-doing. FYI, I just tried that in IE 5.5, and it doesn’t work. And there is no undo function. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/69 "2003-03-13T22:26:13Z")
Hmm, alt+backspace works for me, though I never knew that one. I don’t like it, though, I’m still a Ctrl+z man, myself. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997/70 "2003-03-14T01:19:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GaWd \* > \*\*Nope, it’s not “logging keystrokes”. It simply keeps deleted text on the “clipboard” until it’s over-written. But apparently the computer knows not only what characters I’ve typed, but in what order I’ve type them. And my understanding was that pressing ctrl-v pastes the contents of the clipboard into the current file. Yet alt-backspace seems to have access to more information than ctrl-v. Does ctrl-v access only a particular part of the clipboard? Or is there some uber-clipboard? > [@](#): > > It’s to keep people from deleting their text and then crying out nasty words at the computer God, Bill Gates…sorta like you did. Not quite successful, is it? 🙂 I wonder why that annoying paper clip keeps popping up with useless information when I don’t need it, but when there’s something I would actually like to know, it’s buried in the manual. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-gates-what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking/159997.md?page=3)