Re: Keyboard is beeping when holding Shift for long
On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 02:16:57AM +0200, Aioanei Rares wrote:
> Martin wrote:
>> I have Lenny 5.0.4 from DVD.
>> I am using blackbox window manager and bbkeys.
>>
>> I am mostly working in xterm, screen (end emacs under screen).
>> As I am working with some program it often happens that I 'forget'
>> my finger on the Shift key pressed. If I hold it pressed for
>> several seconds pc speaker beep once. If I repeat same mistake
>> more times in a row it beep in different tones. And finally the keyboard
>> becomes unusable - it beeps after any keystroke but none of the
>> programs running respond to keyboard input. Only remedy then is to
>> use mouse and exit blackbox - restart is not enough - it has to go
>> all the way to gdm login screen. After I login again (actually
>> autologin) I can continue with my work thanks to screen. Only
>> programs requiring X are gone.
>>
>> My guess is that beeping is done by X server - because I have
>> set visual bell in screen. It probably should be noted that
>> I am using keyboard for mouse emulation too. But when the
>> keyboard start beeping on every keystroke I must use real
>> mouse to exit blackbox.
>>
>> All this was happening in etch and sarge too.
>>
>> Martin
>>
> If you try this in another window manager, does it still happen?
I never use another window manager so can not tell :)
To be able to answer your question I tried it with twm. And it
happen too, but ..
BUT I could not reproduced it as described earlier. As a mater of the fact
I could not make it beep on every keystroke even under blackbox
when I try it intentionally!
I was trying to reproduce it while running text editor. Here is
what I found:
If I hold Shift for 4-5 sec pc beep1. (There are tree tones let
call it beep1 beep2 and beep3) If I release Shift after beep1
and press some letter key the letter shows normally in editor
and nothing apparent changes. If I hold Shift until beep1 and
do not release it for another 4-5 sec there comes beep2. After
this pressed letter does not show in editor. But if I hold Shift
again long enough (cca 10 sec) then in midway I first hear beep1
and at the end beep3. Now I release Shift and keyboard is again
normally functioning. It seems to me that keyboard driver switched
to some other mode and back.
After much more testing I found this:
I am only pressing Shift now.
I hold Shift till beep1 then release it. Then again, and again...
The 5th time I hear beep1, release Shift and now hear beep2.
The 6th time I press Shift and right away hear beep3, Hold Shift
for 5 sec, hear beep1, release Shift hear beep2. Now pressing
any letter produce capital letter appearing in editor. All subsequent
letters are small (not capital).
This looks like 'sticky Shift' to me - something to be able to type
capital letters without having to hold Shift and letter pressed
simultaneously. I guess this is enabled by the +accessx that I pass to
X server from gdm.conf to enable mouse emulation (if my memory serve well).
If I am right with above assumption and if this 'shift thing'
can not be disabled without disabling mouse emulation too I will
have to live with it. Now after all those testing done I hope to
be able to manage keyboard beeping without panic and avoid blocking
keyboard again.
Anyway thanks for that simple question that induced me to perform
some seemingly fruitful testing.
Martin
Reply to: