Comment 1 for bug 695617

Ubuntu QA is working on addressing a similar issue of the stick keys getting left in an active or locked state.

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/26323

I think this is a multi-faceted issue (which means the problem presents itself in different ways). I'll provide some insight into the possible solutions:

timeout - most of the time, when you are issuing a key binding sequence w/ sticky keys, its going to happen pretty quickly. So a timeout of a few seconds would alleviate a lot of "lingering" sticky keys problems

two state toggle - this just makes it less steps to get a modifier back in the inactive state

clear - sometimes you just need to reset all the sticky keys rather than try to figure out which keys need to be hit to switch them to inactive. A clear key binding or button would be very helpful in these cases.

I also want to mention my use case, so that it's clear how important this feature is for users and especially developers. If I want to open a Java file in Eclipse, the key combination is:

<Ctrl><Shift>t

Trying to press those three characters all at once is a challenge, like playing twister with your fingers. It's so much easier to type one key at a time in a sort of bounce motion:

<Ctrl>
<Shift>
t

What we are trying to address in this bug is when you press

<Ctrl>

Then decide to take a different course. You have to go back and address the active sticky state of <Ctrl> before you do anything else. Currently, I have to bang out:

<Ctrl>
<Ctrl>

I'd like to limit this to just one, or let it timeout after a few seconds.