What I Hate About Computers #1: THE CAPS LOCK KEY

Posted by Taoufix on Dec 26th, 2007 in Computers

That key is just on the way. Whenever you want to use one of its neighbors (Tab, Shift, A, Q), there’s a good chance you’re gonna press that stupid key instead.

Lately I found out that I was not along, and others like me started a war against it.

So I joined them:

Life is much better now (^_^)

For further reading:

[Edit:] If you care about your keyboard and you are using Linux (Under X) you can disable the caps key by creating a .xmodmap file in your home directory with the following:
[shell]remove Lock = Caps_Lock[/shell]
and insert this line

xmodmap ~/.xmodmap

into your ~/.bash_profile

This Tip was from this page: http://steve.yegge.googlepages.com/effective-emacs

11 Responses for "What I Hate About Computers #1: THE CAPS LOCK KEY"

Dec 31st

SimplyMoroccan

I just don’t get it when someone says that they press the caps key without paying attention ^_^. It never happens to me, that’s what that small green light on your keyboard is for ^_^.
So yeah, that’s not my kind of thing AND I would not ruin my keyboard like you did.
Jan 1st

taoufix

Well, the Tab key is my 3rd most used key (Ctrl is the 1st and Alt is the 2nd. I should collect some data and make some statistics about this ^_^). And every time I have to press it my left little finger has to avoid the Caps key, the largest key on that region of the keyboard and the key which I never use.
And about that “small green light”, it’s always too late (usually after typing 1 or 2 words) when I realize that the Caps lock is on, specially when typing passwords.
Jan 1st

TPDG

@SM: Do you by chance play piano ?

@Tao: Just another syndrome of a linux user extremist…
Jan 2nd

SimplyMoroccan

The “small green light” was jokish and not a new info ^_^. And from your description, it’s pretty clear that you type the wrong way, like myself. We were taught how to type correctly in high school, but then it just faded away.
And you apparently make another big mistake… you look at the keyb while typing, not the screen. Gotsha!

@TPDG:
I wish! That was a childhood dream. If I get a chance to learn in the future, I’ll not say no :).
Jan 2nd

TPDG

@SM: If we are talking about the same Tao, I think if he always realizes that the Caps lock was on too late after typing 1 or 2 words, this is because he types faster than a court secretary and because he is so clever geek that he types w/out looking to his keyboard… neither to his screen !

@SM: For someone who never accidentally presses the Caps lock key, I think mastering piano will just be a matter of hours in your case
Jan 2nd

taoufix

A “court secretary”? u mean the 1 w/ the tiny typewriter? that typing skill is not human, I’m no where near it. SM is right, I’m just a baka~ who never learned how to type correctly.
Jan 2nd

TPDG

@Tao: Yo man ! Stop copying my old negativity and pessimism…
You aren’t good at all…

NB: Talking about not-human-skills, what do you think about this one ?
Jan 2nd

SimplyMoroccan

I didn’t mean you were a baka, Tao.
And guys, why do you make short words even shorter? :D
with = w/, you just saved typing two characters ^_^.
without = w/out, same, just two characters saved ^_^.

And wow for the video. I have seen a similar one for Japanese ladies using calculators. It was just as crazy.
Jan 2nd

taoufix

@tpdg: You call this fast typing?
Jan 2nd

SimplyMoroccan

I can’t believe you made that video especially for this convo ^_^.
And yeah, I guess F was hallucinating. -lol-
No seriosly, typing code is not typing a “normal language”.
Jan 2nd

TPDG

And the naive that I am was thinking all this time that you were my typing-hero O_O
You know that I can sue you for damages that you caused to me !

NB: At least, you didn’t press that damn Caps key after all…

NB²: Oooops ! I forget there is no more Caps lock key on you’re keyboard and you’re using emacs in plus…