The Frozen Keyboard

The Frozen Keyboard: Living With Bad Software by BorisBezier?.

ISBN 0830631461 This book was first published in 1986, so some of what it has to say is a bit dated, but it still hits the mark much too well (shades of MythicalManMonth in that regard).

-- BillTrost

A nasty, random, HiddenMode behavior of MicrosoftWindows where the computer loses track of the status of the shift keys n the keyboard, including Shift, Alt, or Control. The user then ends up unable to type, and frustrated as hell. The usual results include lost work, frustration, rage, and a power cycle. In extreme cases, it's the video we've all seen.

Off topic, but interesting: Until recently, all PC keyboard controllers had a bug where, if you type certain sequences of characters rapidly in sequence, you get an extra character in between. For example, {} would come out {|}. Just in the last few years, I've noticed that the problem no longer seems to happen, but it existed for decades and regardless of OS.

-- MikeWarot Sometimes Windows can be restored to sanity by pressing the offending key (shift, alt, or control) multiple times. At some point the keyboard and the OS's status will get synchronized again.

The Frozen Keyboard sounds like an excellent name for a bar or tavern... or an Internet Cafe.

CategoryBook