funsec mailing list archives
Re: Caps off to ya'
From: "Dr. Neal Krawetz" <hf () hackerfactor com>
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 05:56:01 -0600 (MDT)
Hi funsec, Has this guy thought about getting a different keyboard? Not every keyboard has a huge caps-lock and some don't have the key at all. http://mobilitytoday.com/vbmcms/images/TO-BTK-unattached.JPG http://willegal.net.hosting.domaindirect.com/appleii/keyboards.jpg http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/atarixl/h/front.jpg http://www.neatorama.com/images/2005/keyboard-bag.jpg There are also a bunch of ways to remap caps-lock to something else, like the control key. http://www.manicai.net/comp/swap-caps-ctrl.html (Wouldn't it be really funny if a computer worm was prolific and its payload remapped the caps-lock key?) I also know many people who simply remove the caps-lock key by prying it off the keyboard. I, myself have a box full of them. (I'm not kidding. Some day I plan to make an art project out of them.) But I agree with David Harley. Caps-lock is more than an inconvenience. It's heavily used by people that ARE inconveniences. 419ers, hoaxers, newbies, and journalists. Besides, if he thinks the caps-lock key is inconvenient, then what about the entier "QWERTY" layout? The original design had speed in mind: it was specifically designed to SLOW DOWN typists. On manual typewriters, fast typists could wedge the hammers if they typed too fast, so the keys were positioned to slow down fast typists. (Wow, Wikipedia even has it right: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTY) If caps-lock isn't slowing him down, then he's got a problem. If he's interested in speed, perhaps a Dvorak keyboard would be better. (Then again, Dvorak kept the caps-lock and designed it for writers, not for programmers or game players.) What we really need is a simpler keyboard without so many buttons. Fewer buttons means faster typing. Suddenly Urdu sounds good to me: http://multilan.osaka-gaidai.ac.jp/urdu/keyboard.jpg -Neal PS. FOR ANYONE THAT TAKES THE ABOVE SERIOUSLY... I'M JUST KIDDING. I'M REALLY A FAN OF THE CAPS-LOCK KEY. -- Neal Krawetz, Ph.D. Hacker Factor Solutions http://www.hackerfactor.com/ Author of "Introduction to Network Security" (Charles River Media, 2006) http://www.charlesriver.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=126130 On Sat Aug 19 03:33:39 2006, David Harley wrote:
"The Caps key is an abomination... and as far as I know, it's only used by 419 scammers and Fortran programmers." He doesn't know very much, then. For a start, I'd guess he isn't a touch typist. So secretaries, copy typists, even journalists and writers will be inconvenienced (in some cases seriously) because 419-ers, hoaxers, and newsgroup newbies misuse it? I can understand the aesthetic irritation, but I wish the Lords of the Internet would stop and think things through before they try to impose their personal prejudices on the whole world. :( -- David Harley Security Author & Consultant Small Blue-Green World dharley () smallblue-greenworld co uk
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Current thread:
- Caps off to ya' Dude VanWinkle (Aug 18)
- Re: Caps off to ya' Drsolly (Aug 18)
- RE: Caps off to ya' Larry Seltzer (Aug 18)
- RE: Caps off to ya' Richard M. Smith (Aug 18)
- Re: Caps off to ya' Dude VanWinkle (Aug 18)
- RE: Caps off to ya' Richard M. Smith (Aug 18)
- RE: Caps off to ya' David Harley (Aug 19)
- Re: Caps off to ya' Dr. Neal Krawetz (Aug 19)
- RE: Caps off to ya' David Harley (Aug 19)
- RE: Caps off to ya' David Harley (Aug 19)
- Re: Caps off to ya' Dude VanWinkle (Aug 19)
- Re: Caps off to ya' Nick FitzGerald (Aug 19)
- RE: Caps off to ya' Drsolly (Aug 19)
- RE: Caps off to ya' David Harley (Aug 19)
- RE: Caps off to ya' Larry Seltzer (Aug 19)
- RE: Caps off to ya' Drsolly (Aug 19)
- RE: Caps off to ya' Drsolly (Aug 19)
- RE: Caps off to ya' David Harley (Aug 19)
- Re: Caps off to ya' Dr. Neal Krawetz (Aug 19)