Yes. Any time I capitalize a letter on the left side of the keyboard. Isn't that normal?
That is the way I was taught, but not the way I did it then. Never developed the habit, so I never do it.
Damn, that makes sense. I one hand everything with my left hand. Maybe it's because of muscle memmory from playing videogames lol
I tend to use right shift for pretty much everything. The arrow glyph has worn off the key I use it so much.
Important factors:
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British English keyboards, like the one I have, tend to be ISO, with a larger shift key on the right. Bigger target. Easier to hit.
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I have at least a couple of passwords that each have at least one shifted character from the left side of the keyboard and it's much easier to use both hands when I need to type those.
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It might even go back to the fact that most of my early typing was on a Commodore 64C and the positions of surrounding keys. Hitting shift-lock or run/stop by mistake would have been a nuisance. Caps lock isn't quite as annoying because it's not a literal mechanical toggle, but even so, the right shift avoids that particular error.
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I was taught to type that way, but I was never that good at using my right pinky while typing a letter with my left. Or maybe I just wasn't good at coordinating which shift key to use with which letter. So I started just always using the left shift key which I somehow never had a problem with.
If I have to type capital A, left pinky holds shift and ring finger hits the A. This isn't the "right" way to touch type, but I can still type pretty fast.
I usually hold shift with my left pinky for any letter on the keyboard, because I prefer to type with both hands.
Yes, I use both. Learned typing that way.
It's funny, isn't it? My mom made me take a typing class at the community college one summer - on IBM electric typewriters. This was before everyone owned game consoles, much less PCs. You'd think in today's world, typing classes would be even more in demand, but are they? Do kids take typing classes in K-12?
I learned typing on a mechanical typewriter back in school. I thought it would speed up my typing on the computer, but actually didn't, because what I did on the computer was programming, which is quite incompatible with ten-finger typing.
But nowadays it is actually helpful when I write texts, although I have to switch context quite often (reading the original text in one window, then switching to the editor to write the summary). Still faster than other peoples "eagle typing": looking for the right key and descending on it with one finger.
Same. That's why it's there, folks.
Ergonomically, you should use the Shift (or Ctrl or Alt) key on the opposite side of the keyboard as the key you are modifying. This helps prevent carpal tunnel issues because you can keep your wrists straight and not be twisting them unnaturally to reach key combos. You should also not have your wrists resting on the wrist rest or other surface while typing as that also contributes to carpal tunnel problems. Just use it in between stretches of typing (or maybe people just hunt and peck these days, I dunno).
Just as I learned on a mechanical typewriter.
Yes, I touch type so use it whenever I capitalise a letter typed by the left hand.
I thought this was strange, but I noticed my muscle memory actually uses left shift for letters typed with my left hand, and right shift for my right, I use my pinkie in either case.
Yes, because I ran out of keys to bind in modded Minecraft.
No, I repurposed it as a nightstand
I think a good followup question for this one would be "Were you able to answer the question from memory?"
I couldn't remember, so I had to do some typing to see. And based on the amount of visible keycap wear, I'd say they get used equally.
Yes. Proper use of touch typing uses both shift keys. That's how I type.
Once every blue moon I'll use the right shift to Ctrl+Shift+m and unmute a Teams call but thats the only time I can think I've used it.
Yes. I still use my computer for mostly writing, so proper technique includes using the Right Shift key when capitalizing anything on the left hand side of the keyboard.
I touch-type, so yes.
I legitimately know people who press the caps lock key, type what they need uppercased, then press the caps lock key again. That said, I use both shift keys.
Well, I don't use the wrong shift key /s
I do. Perhaps, as another poster pointed out, it ties into typing classes I had back in the late '80s or early '90s.
Yes. E.g. when typing a capital
PQ. But less often for more complex chords, I use left hand modifiers more often when using multiple modifiers.Only if I need to type a capital letter with one hand
I forgot that it was even there lol
I use a Dvorak keyboard to touch-type, so no, never.
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
Right shift has gotta be my least used key. I actually don't know if I've used it more than like 10 times in my life
Thank you for participating in our market research. The right shift key will now be replaced with a "Grok" key. Goodbye.
Nope. I use left shift for everything.
Even if you do use both shift keys correctly, it still feels awkward to me since you have to sacrifice a pinky from home row and shift your hands.
It's why I've been curious to try a layout where Shift and Alt are swapped, that way you can use your thumb to press shift and keep your fingers in place.
Interesting that none of those modified layouts move the Ctrl key to a better position.
Thats a good observation. I would think I use Ctrl more frequently than Alt, so it would make sense to have Alt where Ctrl usually is, and Ctrl where Shift usually is.
I use it to wake my computer up when the display is off.
My keyboard has two shift keys. I don't think I've ever used the right shift key, not even for usage with emulators for consoles with a lot of buttons... the modifier is always the left shift key since it's closest to my left hand and I can have my right hand on the other side where the arrow keys are. The arrow keys, WASD, Z, X, A, S, Q,W, 1, 2 etc have always been sufficient for most games.
other than as a keybind in a singular Minecraft mod, no never. Always the left one, I also never use the caps lock key
exclusively. i never use the left shift for anything other than running in games.
Left shift only works for games
Right shift is for typing
Yes, but not as often as the left.
While touch typing, I pretty much always use the left shift key. To type "A" for example I slid my hand over one set of keys and pressed the A key with my ring finger. Right shift ends up used mostly with the punctuation marks to the right, like I actually move my entire right hand down to hit shift and ?
I also strike T, Y and B with different hands depending on what I'm typing.
There may be some other eccentricities but I do mostly touch type properly, asdfjkl; and all that.
Which one is the wrong one?
So, everyone who said "no" never learned how to type or what?
Yes I have never learned to type and left shift isn't getting any use.
Subjectively should I learn how to type ? I do like 60 wpm currently without training and use probably 7/10 fingers.
yes - ctrl + shift ) splits the kde konsole
With emulators mostly.
I only use it when I have food in one hand and can't reach the desired key + left shift with my other hand.
I type with both hands usually so use both, but when doing the one hand thing it's always the right shift key. That one is more worn on my keyboard.
Yes, ofc! I have it switched to the up-arrow on my 60%.
Otherwise no.No, never. My keyboard doesn't even have one (40%)
yep when game controls wasn t with wasd u have to use arrow keys to move the player
That red-headed step-child? No way.
only for keybinds that use shift and some other keys that are a little to far away from Lshift on my keyboard.
My brain refuses to remember that they there are any utility keys below the enter on a US keyboard. The right pinky moves over and up, never down. I also never hit the spacebar with my right hand.
I never formally learned to type, I just picked it up because my hands have been glued to keyboards since the 80s.
I had to type a bit to check, but found that I mostly use the right shift if the letter I'm capitalizing is on the left side of the keyboard. Oddly, it wasn't 100% though.
Yes, when doing Ctrl+Insert to copy then Shift+Insert to paste
Yeah, pretty sure i use it for capitalising symbols on the right of the keyboard.
In fact, i think i might use it for some of the symbols above the numbers, too.
I need to get in front of a keyboard and find out.
I rebound it, I never use it
I rarely use the key as shift. It's reassigned to a different function when tapped and that's what I use it for most of the time.
yes it gives me access to "%", which is handy for string interpolation
I use the right Shift key to capitalize when touch-typing. I only use left Shift for Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
Never. I exclusively use my left thumb for the space bar, too.
I could probably type faster if I fixed those issues, but 30 years of bad habits die hard.
Yes but only occasionally. I have them mapped as space cadet shift keys so left shift key is ( on tap and shift on hold, right shift key is ) on tap and shift on hold.
I use ( a lot but my ide normally adds the ) for me so I don't need it as much for that.
Also, I use left shift for most capitals as I rarely gpt further than ; on the right side of the keyboard.
Smaller keyboards I have shift on hold of A and L as I don't have dedicated shift keys kn those.
Constantly, but only at work. I use it for ? and that's it.
Yes, sometimes, on one of my keyboards the left one doesn’t work for some weird software related reason
No, I don't. I know the proper way is to use right shift to type capital letters with the left hand, but I fell out of that a long time ago.
Yup, because I re-map WASD to my arrows and the right shift is near there.
