Ditch the Caps Lock Key

Some people will likely disagree with me on todays post. However, it does not change the fact that I do not like the caps lock key.

Rarely have I ever needed to use the caps lock key. However, if it was simply a matter of not using the key I would not be posting about it. The caps lock key is a 'relatively' large one and finds itself next to the 'A' key. If I had to guess I would say that less than ten percent of the time that I press the caps lock key is intentional. The other ninety percent is they key being accidentally pressed.

Having caps lock accidentally turned on causes all sorts of problems. The simplest problems involve needing to delete a few lines and retype them in the proper case. The more annoying form these problems take is trying to determine why a password is not working (when the answer is that caps lock has inverted the case).

For me the caps lock is a nuisance and a hindrance. This is especially true on laptops with smaller keyboards than standard desktop keyboards. I would be more than happy if the caps lock key was removed or replaced with something else.

But what about the benefits of the caps lock key? Well the only time I have ever needed to type something in all caps I have been using a word processor. Most word processors make the task of changing the case of typed text a trivial matter even without the caps lock key. Functionality is not really lost there. I can think, off the top of my head, of at least three keyboard shortcuts that I use far more frequently than caps lock (discounting accidental uses): ctrl+i (italics), ctrl+b (bold), and alt+tab (switch window). If the caps lock key was changed to perform any of these functions it would be more useful in my opinion.

The people who would really loose out without the presence of a caps lock key are those who use the caps lock more than they should. If you have spend enough time on the internet you have likely encountered someone who has made a forum post in all capital letters. It's incredibly annoying and it's the caps lock key that makes it so easy for them to do this. Removing the caps lock key would discourage at least this form of annoying behavior.

All other things being equal I would choose to purchase a keyboard without a caps lock key over one with such a key. To some this may seem like a trivial matter. However, after accidentally hitting the key today while entering a password, I stopped and asked myself, "Why is this key even here?"

Improved Laptop Power Jacks

I have seen a phenomenal number of laptops die because their power jack stopped working. I have also had a large number of power adapters develop a short and need to be replaced. I know I am not alone in having this problem.

The issue is poor design. Laptops have received power from outlets the same way  since they were created. There has been very little variation in how power cords feed into the computer. Virtually every laptop I have seen uses a circular connector. History has shown that this does not work very well.

If the connector comes straight out from the computer there is a good chance the cord will end up being bent frequently. This leads to a short in the power cord requiring that it be replaced. It seems that L-shaped circular connectors do not tend to have this problem as much. However, I am uncertain why these types of connectors are not more universally used. I suppose they provide slightly less freedom in terms of what direction the cord can lay.  I think that this is a small price to pay for not needing to replace an often seventy dollar cord.

However, even computers with L-shaped connectors tend to have their jacks die. The problem is that the jack needs to be soldered onto the motherboard of the computer. Over time, after the power cord has been plugged and unplugged and twisted many times the solder connection begins to wear. Eventually a short develops inside the computer.

The easy solution is to not have a solder connection. Rather than have a jack, a computer could have two metal connectors directly on the motherboard exposed through a slot. A power cord similar in design to the type of plugs we use with AC outlets (only with the prongs lying in the same plane) could be used. The cord would then come in direct contact with the connectors on the motherboard.

A short could develop in the cord (though the chance of this can be reduced based on the design as mentioned above), but the chance of internal damage to this 'jack' or perhaps I should say non-jack would be minimal.

Ultimately we are stuck with an infective, easy to break, design of power jack simply because it is the way power jacks have always been made. However, I never believe that this is a good excuse not to inovate.