Deviant OllamJul 21, 2023

has anyone ever thought of simply making an operating system DISABLE caps lock on the lock screen? (or at least just disregard it?)

1. lots of operating systems are capable of *detecting* that caps lock is accidentally on

2. we know this because the O/S will often display a notification message, typically even smaller and even less visible than the minuscule red text in you have to search for in a browser when a form won't submit as you try to click "next")

3. nobody has ever used an all-caps password in their life

4. is this crazy? am i crazy? i feel like this could be an idea. i hereby release all claims of IP and forswear all royalties in perpetuity... just maybe consider implementing this, someone, eh?

Show threadTechnology Connections
@deviantollam having literally just watched my mom deal with changing her password under her company's inane password requirements, involving all the good tropes of uppercase, special characters, numbers, and don't-you-dare-reuse-anything-you've-ever-used, capslock as a means of entering such passwords is, from her perspective, an accessibility requirement.
Jul 21, 2023 at 7:09pmWeb
Show threadTechnology ConnectionsJul 21, 2023
@deviantollam to be fair, I disagree with using capslock in place of shift for this application, but that's how her brain works and I guarantee she's not alone
Show threadSybren Stüvel 🧡🤍Jul 21, 2023

@TechConnectify @deviantollam

(source: https://xkcd.com/1172/)

Workflow

xkcd
Show threadSleeplessoneJul 21, 2023
@deviantollam @TechConnectify 100% I have sat and watched someone enter their password toggling caps lock on and off for each capital letter even if there isn’t multiple capitals in a row.
Show threadfluffy 💜Jul 21, 2023
@TechConnectify @deviantollam also on most OSes it’s the only way to get a sticky shift key on the lock screen which is required for people with mobility impairments. Sticky keys are great once you’re logged in but you still need to be able to log in.
Show threadDeviant OllamJul 22, 2023

@TechConnectify Yes, I love all of the voices who responded pointing out the Caps Lock can be an accessibility need.

Not to mention the number of people who chimed in with that XKCD comic. 😂

It reminds us that many changes, perhaps all changes, may deserve a toggle function so that users can revert them in edge cases.

Show threadKyle FoxJul 22, 2023

@deviantollam @TechConnectify Solution: disable caps-lock when the password field is cleared or instantiated. The user can toggle it after that, but its not stuck on at the beginning or through several password tries.

It'd also help if Windows could make sure the warning is high contrast on backgrounds that match the text colours.

Show threadTryst 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇮🇪  Jul 22, 2023

@thekayfox @deviantollam @TechConnectify This seems better because it's adding utility rather than taking it away, and leverages an existing feature.

Other nags would also benefit from this treatment, like the "you left your lights on" chime on cars. If it's smart enough to know that I've left my lights on, it should be smart enough to switch them off for me. If I do need them, I can always switch them back on after.