Talk:shift key

RFD 2014

The following information passed a request for deletion.

This discussion is no longer live and is left here as an archive. Please do not modify this conversation, but feel free to discuss its conclusions.

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shift key

as per Esc key -- Liliana • 09:20, 11 January 2014 (UTC)

• There's an appendix here if anyone wants to check out the rest of the terminology. TeleComNasSprVen (talk) 09:28, 11 January 2014 (UTC)
• Keep it. The meaning is not all that obvious. Oxford lists it under shift (also shift key). Donnanz (talk) 18:51, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  If we have a typing definition of shift then shift key is redundant to shift + key. --WikiTiki89 18:58, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  What a ridiculous argument! Unbelievable. Donnanz (talk) 19:04, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  And what is exactly so ridiculous about it that your best rebuttal is no more than an insult? --WikiTiki89 19:17, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  Maybe most people just happen to know what a shift key is, but is the term really obvious from the sum of its parts? I don't think so. Key has more than one meaning, so does shift. So my comment cannot be regarded as an insult. You have to think outside the box. Donnanz (talk) 19:49, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  Actually it can. If you had said what you just said now the first time around then it wouldn't have been. Anyway, if we have the proper definition of shift then someone who wants to know what a "shift key" is, will look up "shift", find "to move the keys on a typewriter over in order to type capital letters" as one of the definitions (and the only one that would fit in context) and they would not even need to look up "key". --WikiTiki89 19:56, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  And what's the purpose of doing that? Surely we should make it easy for users rather than putting hurdles in their path. I can imagine someone muttering under their breath "Wiktionary doesn't even have an entry for shift key, disgusting!" Donnanz (talk) 20:09, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  I can only imagine their surprise when they then go to look up B button, fried worms, and cranberry-apple juice and find that those aren't there either. --WikiTiki89 20:19, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

Imagine their surprise when we don't have an entry on Esc key either. TeleComNasSprVen (talk) 21:15, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

Esc key is in under another name. Donnanz (talk) 21:38, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

Delete. When you're in the context of computers or typewriters, you will know what a key is (or you can look it up at [[key]]), and you will know that the "XYZ key" is the name of the key that says "XYZ" on it. If you want to know what the XYZ key does, that's not for a dictionary to know. --WikiTiki89 21:46, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

If I remember correctly, pressing the shift key on an ancient typewriter physically shifts the type in order to type upper case; each striker had two characters on it. When the shift key is released, the type is lined up for lower case again. This of course doesn't happen with present-day computers, but the key is still called a shift key. I think a historical note (etymology?) should be added to the entry explaining the origin of this term, as the modern generation doesn't even know this. Donnanz (talk) 22:00, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

That information should all be at [[shift]]. The fact that the key is still says "Shift" is due to computer manufacturers, not word usage. --WikiTiki89 22:03, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

Nothing regarding typewriters under shift or Shift, only computers. Donnanz (talk) 22:21, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

Well there should be. --WikiTiki89 22:40, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

• Delete per nom and per WikiTiki. - -sche (discuss) 22:31, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

• Keep. --Anatoli ^{(обсудить}/^вклад) 00:16, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
• Keep. shift has far too many computer meanings for it to be clear which one the shift key effects. —Aɴɢʀ (talk) 09:49, 18 January 2014 (UTC)
• Keep. Both shift and key have multiple meanings. We can't assume that the context will always be present or will help to define it sufficiently.--Dmol (talk) 22:18, 18 January 2014 (UTC)
• Keep. I don't really know but since AHD, Collins, Macmillan and MWO have this, let's do something more useful than figuring out why this should be kept. That is, DCDuring's "lemmings". “shift key”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.. --Dan Polansky (talk) 12:51, 19 January 2014 (UTC)

Kept. — TAKASUGI Shinji (talk) 04:06, 8 February 2014 (UTC)

escape key

Same as above. --WikiTiki89 21:46, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

• Delete per Liliana and WikiTiki's comments in the preceding section (#shift key). - -sche (discuss) 22:31, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

• Keep. Listed by Oxford. Donnanz (talk) 23:05, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  Considering the OED's definition is "a key on some computer keyboards which when pressed causes an escape character to be transmitted", it seems pretty SOP. --WikiTiki89 23:10, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  Which Oxford Dictionary are you using? It doesn't say that in my hard copy, nor online. Donnanz (talk) 23:21, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  The digital version of the second edition. --WikiTiki89 23:29, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  It differs from my 2005 edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English, which is exactly the same as the online edition. Donnanz (talk) 23:42, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  I don't have access to the online edition. So if you could maybe quote it here, that would help. --WikiTiki89 23:47, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

  That's rather strange, I thought anybody could access it: OK, here goes - "A key on a computer keyboard which either interrupts the current operation or converts subsequent characters to a control sequence." I didn't notice the online edition is slightly different "... or causes subsequent characters to be interpreted differently." So now we have three versions... Donnanz (talk) 00:03, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

  You need a paid subscription to access the OED online. I hope you know that oxforddictionaries.com is not affiliated with the OED (oed.com). --WikiTiki89 00:13, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

  Hmm, why pay for a definition like that? Mind you, I could do with a new hard copy, mine is starting to fall to pieces. The dust jacket wore out ages ago. Donnanz (talk) 00:31, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

• Keep. --Anatoli ^{(обсудить}/^вклад) 00:16, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
• Keep, not a clear SOP. This, that and the other (talk) 09:23, 18 January 2014 (UTC)
• Keep, escape has two computer-related verb senses and one computer-related noun sense, but only one of these three is what an escape key does. —Aɴɢʀ (talk) 09:49, 18 January 2014 (UTC)

  Actually they all are. The "escape character" is the one produced by the escape key and it is used to change the function of the next character. Although nowadays, "escape character" can also be used to refer to any character that does this, for example the backslash is commonly used as an escape character. --WikiTiki89 21:51, 18 January 2014 (UTC)

• Keep. Both escape and key have multiple meanings. We can't assume that the context will always be present or will help to define it sufficiently. --Dmol (talk) 22:10, 18 January 2014 (UTC)

  These terms don't have any meaning without context. Without context "escape key" could easily refer to a key that unlocks an emergency escape door, in which case our definition would be wrong. --WikiTiki89 00:05, 19 January 2014 (UTC)

Kept. — TAKASUGI Shinji (talk) 04:06, 8 February 2014 (UTC)