Death to Caps Lock

[PhaLanX]

I found an interesting article while surfing the web here at work. Read and post your thoughts.

The article is posted below... but here is the link anyways.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...l?tw=rss.index

Is it time to permanently retire the Caps Lock key? Pieter Hintjens thinks so.

Hintjens, the CEO of iMatix, has launched the Capsoff organization in a campaign urging hardware manufacturers to ditch the oft-abused and misused key. Hintjens' plan is to build the entire infrastructure for the movement using only freely available tools from Google. He's already set up a Blogger Capsoff blog and a forum at Google Groups.

"The Caps key is an abomination," Hintjens writes on his blog. "It's a huge key, stuck right there where the Ctrl used to be, and as far as I know, it's only used by 419 scammers and Fortran programmers."

Zealous net newbies have also subjected the Caps Lock key to overuse, composing e-mails and newsgroup posts entirely in capital letters, an ugly and inelegant style of communication akin to screaming. In fact, the Capsoff organization's slogan is "STOP SHOUTING!"

The antagonism toward the Caps Lock key extends beyond its misuse by 13-year-old trolls and naive users. Caps Lock is also responsible for failed entries of passwords and other case-sensitive phrases. Users of word processors are forced to retype any text that was entered with Caps Lock accidentally turned on.

The Capsoff movement's primary target is the device manufacturer. "Obviously the keyboard producers have been so indoctrinated that they don't even inspect their own products any longer," Hintjens writes. "Listen, dudes: No one wants that crummy Caps key. It's history."

Discussion on the Capsoff Google Group took off Wednesday when the protest was picked up by tech news site Slashdot. Group membership has swelled to more than 200 members, and debate has been heated. Many users have been quick to offer alternative uses for the possible gaping hole left between Tab and Shift. Some advocate moving the Esc or Ctrl keys to the empty slot. Others have asked for volume controls to be inserted into the valuable piece of keyboard real estate.

Even though Hintjens' idea is quickly gaining momentum, some find the movement rather pointless.

"I don't see it being a problem at all," says Joel East, a technical designer at Ikey, a company that manufactures custom keyboards and pointing devices for industrial applications. "The Caps Lock key is there, and people can choose to use it or not."

Ikey has been creating input devices since 1989, and the company's designers have never encountered a single customer complaint about the existence or location of the Caps Lock key. In fact, East says it's highly unlikely that the Caps Lock key will go the way of the ghost any time soon since it is used frequently in data entry and inventory management.

"It would make more sense for (Capsoff) to concentrate on educating and training the general population about etiquette and proper use of the keyboard," he says.

Short of taking a penknife to your keyboard and prying the darned thing off, here's how you can eradicate the Caps Lock key from your keyboard of choice.

Windows users should check out the custom keyboard-mapping utilities offered at Shareware Connection. Advanced users can try the input scan-code techniques outlined at Windows Hardware Developer Central. Warning: Attempt scan-code remapping at your own risk.

Mac OS X users have it much easier. Open System Preferences and click on the Keyboard & Mouse icon. Under the Keyboard tab, click on the Modifier Keys button. In the dropdown list next to Caps Lock, choose No Action or set the key to one of the other options.

Of course, anyone with enough money and determination can always commission their own custom keyboard -- sans Caps Lock.

[Chilly is SiK]

Fvck Your Couch

[I StunT I]

is this kinda directed at me? lol shoulda used this when i had that bet

seriously though, are you ****ing kinding me? This guy made all of this crap - and organisation, groups, an article, and probably much much more for the caps lock key? Are you friggin kidding me dude? This guy needs to grow up, like wtf. I dont know why but it makes me kinda angry..

[PhaLanX]

Originally Posted by I StunT I

is this kinda directed at me? lol shoulda used this when i had that bet

Its actually not directed at you at all. I just found it interesting. But i guess it could ally to some of your old habits

I think its an interesting idea. It would force people to be more conciencous (sp?.. im pretty sure i butchered that word) about their typing. Then again... there are just as many people who dont use capitol letters at all as people who only use capitols.

[Totalbodygym]

Capslock Is Cruise Control For Cool!! What Will I Do Without It?!

[I StunT I]

caps lock is really useless if you think about it.. but why take it off keyboards? Theres way more important problems in the world today. Like how stella got her groove back, or how peter griffin got out of that box he made to never listen to bryan again that was sound proof

[PAINTBALL CRAKA]

i used to use the key all the time when i was like 13 (just like it says in the article) but now i just don't use it at all, i hold down the shift key if i wanna yell

but i really do hate the key now that i don't use it, like if your typing up this huge project, and aren't looking at the screen, and you accidently hit the capps key, you have to retype all of it, which really sucks, and ther eisn't any like, "anit-caps" setting on your computer, cause i got really tired of hitting it on this keyboard, so i wanted to permanatly turn it off, but no

[I StunT I]

well thats why you dont type while looking down nubzors...

[PAINTBALL CRAKA]

Originally Posted by I StunT I

well thats why you dont type while looking down nubzors...

i'm sorry i'm not some super pwnzor typer like you stunt

[fattony69]

THIS WAS WRITTEN USING THE CAPS KEY

THIS WAS WRITTEN USING THE SHIFT KEY

I think they should have an easy button.