Shouting in all caps

THE ORIGINAL UTILITY OF THE KEY ALLOWED THE TYPING OF ALL CAPS WHERE APPROPRIATE, SUCH AS TITLES AT THE TOP OF A PAGE, WITHOUT REQUIRING THE TYPIST TO MANUALLY KEEP THE SHIFT KEY DEPRESSED AS LONG AS NEEDED. HOWEVER, WITH THE ADVENT OF MODERN STYLING SUCH AS SMALL CAPS AND SECTION HEADERS ENTERED ONLY ONCE, THIS FUNCTION HAS DEPRECIATED IN USEFULNESS. ON INTERNET CHAT SYSTEMS AND USENET, TYPING IN ALL CAPITALS IS CONSIDERED RUDE, THE LARGE LETTERS AKIN TO SHOUTING OR YELLING WITHIN THE SOCIAL CONTEXT. ON A MORE PRACTICAL LEVEL, CAPS LOCK MAY BE DIFFICULT TO READ. A USER WHO EXCESSIVELY USES CAPITAL LETTERS MAY BE ADVISED TO "LAY OFF THE CAPS LOCK."

USE OF THE CAPS LOCK IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH NEWBIES WHO DO NOT CONSIDER THE APPEARANCE OF THEIR WRITING. ON THE PC KEYBOARD USED WITH MOST OPERATING SYSTEMS (MAC OS X EXCLUDED), HOLDING THE SHIFT KEY WITH CAPS LOCK ON WILL PRODUCE A LOWERCASE LETTER, YIELDING A TEXT STYLE CONSIDERED TYPICAL:

       THIS USER LOVES HER/HIS CAPS LOCK KEY.

CASE SENSITIVITY, A COMMON SECURITY FEATURE, CAN ALSO CONFLICT WITH CAPS LOCK. MANY SERVICES AND PAGES THAT UTILIZE THIS FEATURE WARN THE USER UP FRONT TO CHECK THE STATUS OF THE CAPS LOCK FUNCTION BEFORE ENTERING A USERNAME AND/OR PASSWORD. FAQ PAGES AND OTHER HELP GUIDES ALSO INCLUDE THIS ADVICE TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF COMPLAINTS TO SUPPORT TECHNICIANS FOR SUCH A MINOR AND EASILY-PREVENTED ISSUE. IN MAC OS X, WHEN CAPS LOCK IS ENGAGED AT A LOGIN OR AUTHENTICATION PANEL, A SYMBOL FOR CAPS LOCK (⇪) WARNS OF THE STATE FROM WITHIN THE PASSWORD FIELD.