Replace the capslock key on a keyboard with a little toggle switch. Instead of hitting it to turn capslock on of off, you flick it up to turn capslock on, and flick it down to turn capslock off.
Why? Two words: tactile feedback.
When typing, especially on a keyboard of a different size than you're used to, it's very easy to accidentally hit the capslock key while reaching for [shift] or [a]. If you're not a touchtypist, this can go unnoticed for some time, and potentially require retyping of a line. Having the capslock feel different would make it much harder to hit by accident. If you are a touchtypist, it's easy to toggle the capslock deliberately, but at the wrong time - turning it off while trying to turn it on, or vice versa. There's a little light on the keyboard to tell you about capslock status, but you have to look at the keyboard to see it. A switch would allow you to feel the on/off status without taking your eyes away from the screen.
This could also be applied to scroll lock and num lock, for users who go into those modes often.-- gisho, Feb 16 2010 Treatment of Caps Varies Inverting_20Capital_20PasswordSee this discussion for what does and doesn't shift [MechE, Feb 16 2010] 'No CapsLock' keyboard layout http://www.taniwha.org.uk/about 3/4 the way down the page - I have been using this for years - very satisfactory solution. [pocmloc, Feb 17 2010] Ogham keyboard for mac http://www.evertype...ipt/ogham-keys.html//The keyboard is active when Caps Lock is down// [pocmloc, Feb 17 2010] Earl of Cork http://en.wikipedia..._of_Cork_and_Orrery... or what ? [8th of 7, Feb 17 2010] The English Folk Dance and Song Society http://www.efdss.orgCecil Sharp House, 2 Regents Park Road, London NW1 7AY [pocmloc, Feb 21 2010] [Ian], that's what happens when capslock is on, you don't realize it's on, and you Hit Shift To Capitalize Single Letters.-- gisho, Feb 16 2010 Old keyboards used to have more tactile Cap Slocks - much better, but probably harder to implement on the uberthin keyboards of modern laptops.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 16 2010 Well, it's what happens when _I_ don't realize caplock is on, and hit shift to capitalize single letters. Does your computer have some special setup? I've never used one that where hitting shift+letter with capslock on doesn't yield a lowercase letter.-- gisho, Feb 16 2010 [+] Bun, although I think there should also be a solenoid to mechanically reset the switch to it's default position whenever the computer reboots.-- goldbb, Feb 16 2010 Actually, hang on, why not have "Shift" automatically turn off Cap Slock?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 16 2010 [Ian], the Shift key "shifts" from lowercase to capital, and vice versa as well. My keyboard does the same thing that [gisho]'s does. [+], by the way--I do quite like this, it's very steampunk.-- DrWorm, Feb 16 2010 I wonder if there's any type of computer that has a more sensible arrangement?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 16 2010 //Actually, hang on, why not have "Shift" automatically turn off Cap Slock?//
It's totally incredible that it doesn't. It's not like no one has thought of it - the computer keyboard was based on the manual typewriter which did exactly that. Someone must have made the conscious decision to remove the feature, tHEREBY iNTRODUCING tHIS rATHER aNNOYING eFFECT.
PS - I don't think Macs have this problem.
PPS - I'm starting to sound like a Mac fanboy. Shoot me now.-- wagster, Feb 16 2010 Some of the keyboards I use exhibit the [gisho] effect (and very annoying it is, too: [+] for the idea), but this one doesn't. This one's a Mac, and the others are Windows, but I don't know how general that is.
[MB] For uberthin laptop keyboards, how about a piezoelectric vibrator on the capslock key, activated when capslock was on? It wouldn't take much power to give salient tactile feedback, especially if it were only actuated when a finger touched the key. It'd be -- what's the word - - not no-moving-parts exactly -- solid state? no finicky bits to break, jam, or collect dirt.-- mouseposture, Feb 16 2010 I do this all the time, but then I don't look up from the keyboard either.You know come to think of it, I don't think I've ever used Caps Lock on purpose. I'm just going to pop that little sucker right outa there.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 17 2010 How about a repeating audio alert that says "Caps Lock is on! Caps Lock is on!" constantly until you turn it off.-- wagster, Feb 17 2010 "Small Caps Lock" key. I would love that.-- wagster, Feb 17 2010 Or a Caps Lock Lock that keeps it from activating.-- rcarty, Feb 17 2010 Bol Lock-- rcarty, Feb 17 2010 I like [wags] idea! Then we can have a toggle switch to shut off the audio alert! yeah, that's it!-- xandram, Feb 17 2010 This is a nice idea, but would need some feedback sensors on a modern computer as the caps lock key just tells the PC to change it's state. I do PC support and I get issues when remoting into a computer with the caps lock pressed, which requires me to press mine to cancel out theirs, etc.
I'd almost go with the above suggestion for removing the stupid thing completely except for very few users I have who use it continuously (printing labels).-- MisterQED, Feb 17 2010 Engineering drawings are properly annotated in all caps. Capslock is a must have for that purpose. Of course you could always create a font that has caps for both and use that instead.-- MechE, Feb 17 2010 I like this idea a lot. Not so much because I think it's a great idea, it just might be. But more so because this and maybe one or two others...ARE THE ONLY FUCKING IDEAS I GET, THAT HAVE BEEN POSTED RECENTLY. GET IT? WHAT IN HELL IS AN ORRARNY, OR ORRENARY , OR WHATEVER THERE IS ABOUT A ZILLION ECHO IDEAS ABOUT. AND THE REST I JUST DON'T GET. MUST BE STUPID BLISSMISS MONTH.
(Okay, all better...)-- blissmiss, Feb 17 2010 Another use for all-caps is certain keyboard layouts for obscure scripts. I'm thinking specifically of Ogham (early medieval Gaelic script) for which there is dedicated Unicode positions, and available fonts; the very useful keyboard layout I have gives Latin letters on normal and caps, and Ogham characters on caps-lock.-- pocmloc, Feb 17 2010 //WHAT IN HELL IS AN ORRARNY, OR ORRENARY//
An orrenary is a device for displaying the motion of planets in a grumpy way.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 17 2010 Or a person. Or a place. Or both. Or a thing for showing the motions of heavenly bodies (see also Playboy Channel).
<link>-- 8th of 7, Feb 17 2010 make it so's you have to stand up to type more than one cap in a row.-- FlyingToaster, Feb 17 2010 "EARPLUGS FOR THE NOISE, SIR ?"-- 8th of 7, Feb 17 2010 [blissmiss]//WHAT IN HELL IS AN ORRARNY// look at the first link under "Dog Orrery" -- all will become clear (also, it's pretty).-- mouseposture, Feb 17 2010 Thank you very much. I was a bit overwhelmed with all the orr(blah) postings. But you are right, the first link was quite beautiful.-- blissmiss, Feb 18 2010 //An orrenary is a device for displaying the motion of planets in a grumpy way//
Or it could be an orrery whose planets consisted of canaries...
<contemplates posting an orrery idea>-- MikeD, Feb 18 2010 I rip the membrane out from under my caps lock buttons. If i ever need something to be all caps, it is probably in a program where there is a function to convert a selected body of text to whatever case type i need.
that, and my cow-orker thought it was hilarious to constantly hit caps lock when i was AFK, causing me to wonder why my passwords weren't working.-- ericscottf, Feb 19 2010 I ended up with a machine with a 'windows' button next to the spacebar. That is when I learned you can remap your keyboard to do whatever you want. Now I have five CTRL buttons on my keyboard. You should get yourself three shifts!-- mylodon, Feb 20 2010 //This could also be applied to scroll lock and num lock, for users who go into those modes often.//
For another solution to this caps lock problem, hold down the num lock key for five or more seconds. A box will come up. Press OK.-- ldischler, Feb 21 2010 //Don't want a reputation as someone pedantic//
Imagine the lengths you would have to go to in order to get that reputation in here.
No, don't.-- wagster, Feb 21 2010 //Some seriously twisted Lord of the Rings ideas come to mind.//
//This could also be applied to scroll lock and num lock//
Ah yes, Scrollock the Unclean, son of Numlock the Wise...-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 21 2010 Cecil Sharp would disagree, I'm sure. (link)-- pocmloc, Feb 21 2010 According to the link, this is "one of the premiere folk development and advocacy organisations in the UK." One of??-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 21 2010 My Commodore64 had tactile feedback without the toggle; Caps was just a mechanically latching button. The travel was about a half inch too, and it took several times the force than the others... can't remember what effect the Shift had.-- mbedded, Nov 02 2010 Um... can someone explain to me the significance of my link? I am mystified.-- pocmloc, Nov 02 2010 Looks like someone's been drunk-linking.-- DrWorm, Nov 03 2010 Hair lock: Caps lock that goes off even if you just brush it. //Actually, hang on, why not have "Shift" automatically turn off Cap Slock?// The release of the shift key would be slightly better, since you probably pressed the shift key to get upper case. Isn't that how the type writers used to work? I seem to recall some kind of release catch.-- Ling, Nov 03 2010 Put CL on the back of the keyboard frame. Upper left, perpendicular to the other keys. Or maybe in the other room.-- nomocrow, Nov 05 2010 I for one loaded the registry file to remove my caps lock. Placing it above the keyboard in a PS2 controller style is a great idea but it can get lost as idiots rarely lift their keyboard for other buttons and you could push the keyboard a little too far forward and bump into a book or cup of tea and start SHOUTING again...
hmm back to the drawing board.-- PainOCommonSense, Jul 18 2012 How about a Caps Lock key like the top of a clicky ball point pen? Push it once and it stays down, push it again and it pops back out.-- Cuit_au_Four, Jul 19 2012 random, halfbakery