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So, confession time: I have this really bad habit of using the wrong shift key. For instance, if I were to type "Where" with a capital "W", I'd use the left shift key, instead of the right one as I should. This means I have to rotate my left hand a bit and stretch my fingers in an awkward way, which means I type a bit slower, have a few more mistakes, etc.

Is there a tool that can catch me doing this, and thus help me retrain myself? I'm looking for:

  • Linux or Mac; Linux is preferred
    • I'm specifically using Mint 14 on my personal computer.
    • My work laptop is a Mac on Mavericks.
  • Free or a few bucks (this is only a minor nuisance!)
  • Should be easy to install (deb, etc for linux). I don't feel like chasing down compilation dependencies for this.
  • I'm looking for relatively unobtrusive feedback; something like a popup that goes away after a second or two

In case it helps illustrate what I'm looking for, the inspiration for this question is an Eclipse plugin called MouseFeed, which trains you to use keyboard shortcuts by popping up a little alert any time you use a menu option to perform an action that could be done via a shortcut.

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  • 3
    As a personal thing: I almost never use the right shift key. Everything I capitalize, even Where, I use the left shift for. But then, I don't touch-type in the "standard" way. I actually keep my left pinky on the shift and type all the left handed letters with the other three fingers. So "correcting" your typing might not be the right answer. But as I said, it's a personal muscle memory thing. I'm fast and accurate this way, but I wouldn't try and sit there and teach it to others the way touch typing is taught. – Bobson Mar 6 '14 at 21:31
  • If it worked for me, I wouldn't mind. But with the number of times I have to look at a password field that says *********** and hope I typed it right... it's not pretty. (In case you're wondering, no, my password is not Where. Nor is it the same one I use on my luggage.) – yshavit Mar 6 '14 at 21:35
  • Fair enough. I assume you don't want to just disable it altogether? That would train you to use the right shift very quickly! – Bobson Mar 6 '14 at 21:39
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    Correct, I don't want to disable it. I still need it for when I type "Password" (which is my password... ;) ). – yshavit Mar 6 '14 at 21:43
  • I don't have any useful suggestions, then. Sorry. :( Good luck! – Bobson Mar 6 '14 at 21:46

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