Steve Ballmer Authored the Windows 3.1 Ctrl-Alt-Del Screen

Nerval's Lobster writes According to Microsoft developer Raymond Chen, Steve Ballmer didn't like the original text that accompanied the Ctrl-Alt-Del screen in Windows 3.1, so he wrote up a new version. If you used Windows at any point in the past two decades, you can thank him for that infuriatingly passive 'This Windows application has stopped responding to the system' message, accompanied by the offer to hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete again to restart the PC (and lose all your unsaved data). Update: 09/09 15:30 GMT by S : Changed headline and summary to reflect that Ballmer authored the Ctrl-Alt-Del screen, not the BSoD, as originally stated.

Comments

"Stuff that matters"

[Nimey]

This story belongs in idle.

Re:"Stuff that matters"

[Killer Instinct]

Its a "advert" to drive hits to DICE.COM :/

Re:"Stuff that matters"

[OzPeter]

Seriously. There's nothing to discuss.
Ballmer wrote the message. So what?

Bet you wouldn't say that if Bennet had posted this story. But the again it would have been a philosophical piece about how while he likes the color blue, its not his favorite color blue, and how he wished that all error display screens should be *his* favorite blue color, and how dare the manufacturers of all the different OS's not consult him and get *his* opinion on what makes for a really nice blue color, even though each of those OS manufactures have their own ideas as to how things should be done and they have most likely done their own research into colors, but anyway that should all be scrapped and re-implemented Bennett's way (at their own expense of course) and while their at it could they also make it so every program works exactly the same on every different combination of computer and OS as it's a major hassle having to learn how to do things differently whenever you site down at an unfamiliar computer, but then again why should computers be unfamiliar in the first place, maybe it would be better if they all had a dedicated "Bennet" login so that he would just be able to sit down at any computer and just use it the way he wanted to, in fact what would be even better if all that research into melding telepathy and machines was finally completed so that he wouldn't even have to sit down at a computer as it would simply recognize him from a distance and would then fire up its 3D holographic welcome display (which BTW is fully detailed 3D model of Bennett himself - on a pedestal) so that he can instantly get down to his .. Oh look! Squirrel!!

Amiga

[Pheran]

Nothing will ever top "Guru Meditation" :)

Re:Amiga

[marcello_dl]

If a system can display an error message, it is not messed up enough.

Re:Amiga

[gargleblast]

If a system can display an error message, it is not messed up enough.

Yeah. A really good Amiga crash would randomly poke the graphics and sound chips and the machine would look and sound as if it were about to explode.

I miss the BSOD

[Barlo_Mung_42]

I'd rather get some cryptic information about stop codes or an error message than a condescending sad face accompanied by a reboot request. At least I can look up the code and get a ballpark idea what the issue is without firing up windbg.

Anthill Inside

[ackthpt]

+++OUT OF CHEESE ERROR+++

Re:old message

[Opportunist]

So this is something you'd prefer?

Re:Windows 8

[just_another_sean]

How the frog do you trigger a BSOD in Windows 8?

Apparently by installing updates.

Re:Never liked the 'D' part of BSoD

[benjymouse]

BSOD happens when the kernel detects memory corruption. With a hybrid monolithic kernel like Windows that means all bets are off and continuing could very well case damage more damage.

Even if the memory corruption happens in an USB driver, it can overwrite critical kernel memory.

Incidentally, you *do* get more information. The kernel will initiate a kernel dump which can be investigated later.