Author Topic: Kill the Caps Lock? (Read 5571 times)

Philth · « **on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 11:27:22 »

Thought this would be an appropriate forum to share this interesting read:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2012/02/caps_lock_has_to_go_and_other_proposals_for_improving_the_computer_keyboard.html

I disagree with killing he caps lock. I, personally, use it quite frequently. I do however like the idea of an em-dash key.

Thoughts, opinions?

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #1 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 11:32:04 »

I've never really seen the point of a dedicated key for CAPS. Even when typing multiple letters in caps I tend to press shift. Never got why they didn't keep using shift as shift lock, like typewriters used to. A perfect use for those Cherry latching switches. There were a few old Apple and other keyboards in the early days that were like that.

WhiteFireDragon · « **Reply #2 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 11:44:14 »

I think the caps lock is useless as well. I remapped this key to backspace.

pitashen · « **Reply #3 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 11:44:29 »

My thought -> do whatever works for you

lightsout714 · « **Reply #4 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 12:14:17 »

I hate caps lock. Always turn it on by accident.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

daerid · « **Reply #5 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 12:26:45 »

Have been using CapsLock remapped to Left Control for a while now, and I really like it. Now that I have a useless Left Control, I'm gonna try mapping that to BackSpace.

canthonytucci · « **Reply #6 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 12:30:22 »

Quote from: daerid;506440

Have been using CapsLock remapped to Left Control for a while now, and I really like it. Now that I have a useless Left Control, I'm gonna try mapping that to BackSpace.

I use the useless L Control as the hotkey for Awesome Window Manager, something similar could be done if you're an XMonad User

(just noticed in the pic at the site that the guy has a filco!)

whiskerBox · « **Reply #7 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 12:35:51 »

CAPS LOCK SHOULD BE CHANGED TO SHOUT! I WAS VERY SAD WHEN THIS OPTION WAS DROPPED FROM ROUND 4

angry gamer · « **Reply #8 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 12:52:54 »

Never mind the capslock, I just wish people would switch to Dvorak.

commandercup · « **Reply #9 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 13:00:38 »

I too wish that capslock was dead so that all computers could default to having the caps lock key as something more useful. The only thing that stops me from switching to Dvorak/Colemak is that all computers default to Qwerty (Colemak has to be installed, Dvorak moves the brackets and punctuation to weird places).

sordna · « **Reply #10 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 13:15:06 »

I will have to disagree, I find Caps Lock very useful, and ergonomic. I use it whenever I have to hit 2 or more capital letters in a row. I do agree that Shift Lock would be better, so I would be able to type symbols in a row.

By the way the typing champion Sean Wrona uses Caps Lock even to type 1 capital leter in a word! It's fascinating, but it's really faster for him to hit Caps Lock twice, than coordinating pushing 2 keys at the same time when he's flying at 200WPM.

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?25711-proper-touch-typing&p=483599&viewfull=1#post483599

boli · « **Reply #11 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 13:20:06 »

Rather than the minor changes to (logical) keyboard layouts laid out in the article I'd vote for fixing the physical layout, namely getting rid of the staggered rows on keyboards. They are a relict from the mechanical typewriter era and totally out of place on a computer keyboard, yet even touch screen keyboards have stagger.
Staggered rows might be OK for the right hand, but for the left hand they're unhealthy/awkward/... If you ever found typing on a numpad comfortable you've already proven to yourself that typing on a matrix layout works well. Even better than matrix layout would be finger length adjusted staggered columns rather than staggered rows.

As for caps lock, I don't have or need one (see custom layout in sig).

Rant over, I'll go back to the ergonomic subforums now.

sordna · « **Reply #12 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 13:37:14 »

Couldn't agree more! Most geekhackers are endlessly discussing switches, paying big money for keycaps, etc but keep using the HORRIBLY STUPID staggered / asymmetric zig-zag layout of keys. It's like discussing dressing up a donkey, when they could be driving race cars.

REVENGE · « **Reply #13 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 13:40:10 »

Quote from: sordna;506504

Most geekhackers are...paying big money...dressing up a donkey...

/outofcontext

lowkey · « **Reply #14 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 15:07:04 »

Quote from: angry gamer;506457

Never mind the capslock, I just wish people would switch to Dvorak.

Looks like you misspelled Colemak. I'll forgive ya this time, though.

TomiKazi · « **Reply #15 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 16:34:11 »

Not for me. I simply like the possibility of easily entering all-caps with a physical switch, whether it is a common thing to do or not. It could be perhaps an idea to switch the backspace and the caps lock locations, but for me, it's unnecessary. Without a caps lock button, it's just not complete for me.

Hydroid · « **Reply #16 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 23:44:22 »

Every keyboard I have I remove the Caps Lock keycap because I always hit it when I don't want to. People complaing about hitting the Windows key while gaming, but I've never done that, but I do hit the caps key every 10 minutes if I don't have it removed.

hazeluff · « **Reply #17 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 23:45:51 »

Quote from: Hydroid;507035

Every keyboard I have I remove the Caps Lock keycap because I always hit it when I don't want to. People complaing about hitting the Windows key while gaming, but I've never done that, but I do hit the caps key every 10 minutes if I don't have it removed.

Its just useless to me. = /

Also never hit windows randomly.

Brodie337 · « **Reply #18 on:** Thu, 02 February 2012, 23:54:34 »

I have caps lock set to control, but I Autohotkey set to turn on capslock with a double tap on either shift key.

Tony · « **Reply #19 on:** Fri, 03 February 2012, 00:03:01 »

You can have the best of both worlds. I set Capslock to Backspace, and make Control-Capslock act as Capslock with this AutoHotkey script:
^Backspace::Capslock

Therefore I have a new Backspace, and I can still use Capslock to type UPPERCASE if I want to.

Btw, I use Colemak layout

keyboardnoob · « **Reply #20 on:** Fri, 03 February 2012, 00:23:49 »

The windows key is very annoying especially when you play fps and you click quickly on ctrl to crouch but you accidentally hit the windows' key and you die. A lot of people I knew from Counter-Strike disabled the windows key in the registry.

hoggy · « **Reply #21 on:** Fri, 03 February 2012, 00:26:13 »

Capslock isn't all that big a deal (mine's remapped to backspace too). It's the sodding ; key on qwerty's home row that's the real crime.

Funnily enough, I'm always bemused at the fuss about locking out the win key while.

lightsout714 · « **Reply #22 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 08:51:29 »

Quote from: keyboardnoob;507069

The windows key is very annoying especially when you play fps and you click quickly on ctrl to crouch but you accidentally hit the windows' key and you die. A lot of people I knew from Counter-Strike disabled the windows key in the registry.

I hate it too, theres also a little file you can download from microsofts site that does it automatically. I did it recently. Have no use for it really.

noGG · « **Reply #23 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 10:58:10 »

Honestly, I don't think I'd miss the caps lock key if it was gone. Sure, it's handy to have when you need to express your e-rage but I find myself using shift if I really have to have things in caps, which isn't that often. I'd much rather have a second backspace than a caps lock key.

RedTed · « **Reply #24 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 14:10:25 »

There is some useful advice here. I have resisted mapping the capslock to backspace both because my right hand is already trained to do all the deleting and because I am afraid that I will start SHOUTING instead of deleting if I ever work on someone else's keyboard. At the moment I have the capslock key mapped to "advance media" because I work with the music player going and I like being able to skip to the next song without having to find the music player window or even take my hands out of typing position.

Now if only I could type faster - but that is a different problem.

Disposable Hero · « **Reply #25 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 14:21:12 »

I to hate Caps Lock...I mean really.... how often do you really need to type all caps?? I'd rather they use the key for something more useful or at least be able to lock it out...I'm always accidently hitting it while typing only to find out 3 sentences later that it's all caps....arrgh!

bpiphany · « **Reply #26 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 14:21:43 »

Being a emacs user I remapped it to ctrl. I like it for all other occasions requiring ctrl as well. Firefox got a lot of ctrl commandos, as well as every other program I suppose... Keep hitting caps lock all the time on other's keyboards though =P

And if I ever actually needed caps lock I would much rather have it a bit harder to activate. Perhaps pressing both shifts or something..

bbbbqq · « **Reply #27 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 14:22:16 »

How about making it a .com enter button ? Instead of pressing those five keys every time you want to view a website, maybe it'd be easier to make a button to do that

volund · « **Reply #28 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 14:22:47 »

only time I used CapsLk on a regular basis was when I was doing COBOL..... thank god that is over....

The_Beast · « **Reply #29 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 16:04:56 »

Is there a way to disable the caps lock but keep using it as a hotkey/regular key?

pyro · « **Reply #30 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 17:21:28 »

You can remap Capslock to anything.
Use xmodmap in Linux, autohotkey in Windows.

IronDoc · « **Reply #31 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 17:23:47 »

Ctrl + return does this on chrome and probably firefox.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #32 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 17:24:15 »

To really remap I don't like autohotkey. It dosen't work in a lot of games and some other software. To really remap in windows, go to the registry, of if that is scary to you use sharpkeys.

Supertoaster · « **Reply #33 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 17:28:09 »

I like to use caps lock instead of Shift when I write my capital letters.

fstop · « **Reply #34 on:** Mon, 06 February 2012, 19:04:13 »

What are you guys talking about, I always use caps lock!

Its the push-to-talk key on vent duh

Deverica Wolf · « **Reply #35 on:** Tue, 07 February 2012, 01:01:28 »

I think Caps Lock has it's uses. It can be nice if I am on a rant. I personally remapped it to Backspace, Scroll Lock to Caps Lock, and R Alt to Scroll Lock.

For game playing, I think remapping Caps Lock and L Windows is a must. That's where WASD and SharpKeys come in! :cell:

rknize · « **Reply #36 on:** Tue, 07 February 2012, 16:14:46 »

In Linux, I activate the seldom-if-ever used caps lock function to "Press both shift keys". Easy to remember. I guess I don't yell on the Interwebz too much. I'll maybe use it when entering a lots of HEX values in C code or something.

I always liked the placement of Ctrl on older UNIX workstations, like Sun. It's easier on my pinky. I randomly switch back and forth between the "real" Ctrl and Caps Lock though (prolly from using other people's keyboards), so I have them both as left Ctrl. I map "Command" to Caps Lock on my MacBook. It helps me hate the Mac layout a little less.

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Author Topic: Kill the Caps Lock? (Read 5571 times)