# Three-Finger Salute: Ctrl-Alt-Del Creator Retires!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 30, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676 "2004-01-30T01:17:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676/1 "2004-01-30T01:17:53Z")

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[Yes, it’s true, my fellow babies.](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&ncid=528&e=2&u=/ap/20040129/ap_on_hi_te/ctrlaltdelete_man)

David Bradley, the man who invented the Ctrl-Alt-Del shortcut to restart PCs is retiring after 28 years at IBM to go teach.

So let’s raise three frosty ones in his honor! The man who rescued us all from Windows time and again.

_Ave Coder! Nos morituri von spernimus!_

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676/2 "2004-01-30T01:57:21Z")

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What is ‘von spernimus’ supposed to mean? Nice reference, by the way; let’s hope we don’t meet their fates, or our computers either.

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**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676/3 "2004-02-01T02:31:47Z")

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For that matter, why not translate it all, please?

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**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676/4 "2004-02-01T02:38:13Z")

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Saved my ass in the DOS days more than a few times!  
(Not Dave, the salute.)

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676/5 "2004-02-01T02:42:59Z")

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Yeah, I’d heard about this [somewhere](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=237348).

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**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676/6 "2004-02-01T04:52:03Z")

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Yes, I too salu…

_Computer restarts_

Darn… 😛

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**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-finger-salute-ctrl-alt-del-creator-retires/226676/7 "2004-02-01T04:54:33Z")

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I didn’t even know that ‘Ctrl+Alt+Delete’ was invented by anyone. I thought it was just something that always was.

_Salut_, Mr. Bradley!