Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET (Z4648252) (08/23/89)
During the WOA at Dallas, lowly user that I am, I asked several
developers and commercial ST miracle workers if it was possible to build
a caps lock indicator for the ST. I discovered that *I must be the only one
who needs this*! Not one single developer saw the need. They looked at
me in awe and politely listened. Yes, it was possible they said, but no,
I'm not interested and the need is really not there, they indicated.
Sigh. Try logging on a mainframe that is case sensitive or accidentally
bump the caps lock key when fat fingering. For a touch typist who spends
more time looking at the copy rather than the screen, it can be infuriating
to see your screen output in the wrong case. If a LED indicator could be
had, then your peripheral vision would see the caps lock indicator.
Yes, there are corner caps/lock indicators that are software driven.
However, these may not always work for certain programs and, when using
the ST in emulation mode for either Spectre or IBM, then the user has to
tap the keys a couple of times to determine the case.
At any rate, is anyone else interested in a hardware caps/lock
indicator? If so, how would one be built?
Larry Rymal in East Texas <Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET>dclemans@mentor.com (Dave Clemans @ APD x1292) (08/23/89)
From article <890822.13033556.019146@SFA.CP6>, by Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET (Z4648252): > > During the WOA at Dallas, lowly user that I am, I asked several > developers and commercial ST miracle workers if it was possible to build > a caps lock indicator for the ST. I discovered that *I must be the only one > who needs this*! Not one single developer saw the need. They looked at > me in awe and politely listened. Yes, it was possible they said, but no, > I'm not interested and the need is really not there, they indicated. > Sigh. Try logging on a mainframe that is case sensitive or accidentally > bump the caps lock key when fat fingering. For a touch typist who spends > more time looking at the copy rather than the screen, it can be infuriating > to see your screen output in the wrong case. If a LED indicator could be > had, then your peripheral vision would see the caps lock indicator. > Yes, there are corner caps/lock indicators that are software driven. > However, these may not always work for certain programs and, when using > the ST in emulation mode for either Spectre or IBM, then the user has to > tap the keys a couple of times to determine the case. > At any rate, is anyone else interested in a hardware caps/lock > indicator? If so, how would one be built? > > Larry Rymal in East Texas <Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET> I don't know if it's made anymore, but one of the first third party upgrade products that came out for the ST when it was first introduced was a battery backup for the keyboard processor (so that you didn't have to set the clock each time you turned on the system. That board also had a caps-lock LED that with suitable modifications to the ST case could be brought out and made visible. The company that built the board was named Giodata, or something like that. The board did have the problem (like most "clocks" that were in reality just battery backups for the keyboard processor) if the system was off continously for a week or two. dgc
rbutterworth@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ray Butterworth) (08/25/89)
In article <890822.13033556.019146@SFA.CP6>, Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET (Z4648252) writes: > > Sigh. Try logging on a mainframe that is case sensitive or accidentally > bump the caps lock key when fat fingering. For a touch typist who spends > more time looking at the copy rather than the screen, it can be infuriating > to see your screen output in the wrong case. Within a day of first using my ST, I found the simple solution to this stupidity. I simply removed the key cap. I've never accidentally hit it since. (I've never intentionally used it either.)
dbrooks@osf.osf.org (David Brooks) (08/25/89)
Never mind a LED -- how about a fix to disable the stupid thing altogether? I hardly ever use it, and I often catch it with the edge of my right hand. Bad results. I can imagine some code that hooks into the low-level keyboard reading stuff, but I'm not up to it myself. Anyone? -- David Brooks dbrooks@osf.org Open Software Foundation uunet!osf.org!dbrooks 11 Cambridge Center Personal views, not necessarily those Cambridge, MA 02142, USA of OSF, its sponsors or members.
n62@nikhefh.hep.nl (Klamer Schutte) (08/28/89)
In article <581@paperboy.OSF.ORG> dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks) writes: > >Never mind a LED -- how about a fix to disable the stupid thing >altogether? I hardly ever use it, and I often catch it with the edge >of my right hand. Bad results. > >I can imagine some code that hooks into the low-level keyboard reading >stuff, but I'm not up to it myself. Anyone? >-- >David Brooks dbrooks@osf.org >Open Software Foundation uunet!osf.org!dbrooks >11 Cambridge Center Personal views, not necessarily those >Cambridge, MA 02142, USA of OSF, its sponsors or members. This one is really easy: (for most programs :-( ) For an ST you can redefine the keyboard tables: these have three tables: 1 normal 2 with a shift key 3 with capslock on Just map 3 to one and you are finished. I hope when you place a program which does such in the auto folder it will be fixed. 1) the order of the tables could be different. 2) i don't know the exact trap nr (Should be bios or xbios) and function nr. Klamer. -- ________________________________________________________________________________ Klamer Schutte mcvax!nikhefh!{n62,Schutte} {Schutte,n62}@nikhefh.hep.nl
kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) (08/29/89)
The problem with a hardware capslock indicator is that on the ST, capslock state is controlled by SOFTWARE. Charles Johnson has written a useful little DA called CAPSLOCK.ACC that puts a little arrow in the corner of the screen to display capslock status. I've been using it constantly since I bought the CodeHead utilities. -- ||| Ken Badertscher (ames!atari!kbad) ||| Atari R&D System Software Engine / | \ #include <disclaimer>
lawrence@techpub1.iscs.com (Lawrence Kelley) (08/29/89)
In article <1661@atari.UUCP> kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) writes: > >Charles Johnson has written a useful little DA called CAPSLOCK.ACC that >puts a little arrow in the corner of the screen to display capslock status. >I've been using it constantly since I bought the CodeHead utilities. > Someone else wrote a share/freeware application that put a clock in the corner. The AM/PM would be in uppercase to indicate capslock on and lower to indicate capslock off. Could someone please post that, or email it to me? Thanks
dbrooks@osf.osf.org (David Brooks) (08/30/89)
In article <243@nikhefh.hep.nl> n62@nikhefh.hep.nl (Klamer Schutte) writes: >In article <581@paperboy.OSF.ORG> dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks) writes: >> >>Never mind a LED -- how about a fix to disable the stupid thing >>altogether? >For an ST you can redefine the keyboard tables: these have three tables: >1 normal >2 with a shift key >3 with capslock on >Just map 3 to one and you are finished. I hope when you place a program which does >such in the auto folder it will be fixed. I tried that (after my original post, I rtfm). It remaps the table OK, but the tables are reset after program exit. My guess is that GEMDOS does a Bioskeys() or maybe it saves and restores the calling program's tables. Come to think, I didn't try it in the AUTO folder. Will do so and report back. -- David Brooks dbrooks@osf.org Open Software Foundation uunet!osf.org!dbrooks 11 Cambridge Center Personal views, not necessarily those Cambridge, MA 02142, USA of OSF, its sponsors or members.