strange keyboard behaviour, is it faulty?

[Arwen]

Actually this issue may be a stuck line. It could be:

• On the main board, (where the keyboard controller chip resides)
  
• In the cable / connectors between the main board and keyboard
  
• In the keyboard
  

If I remember correctly, (can't do the research right now), shift keys tend to be on separate keyboard scan lines. This is so that they can modify other key's behavior.

Having a reboot fix the issue, (temporarily), is expected, as the kernel keyboard driver would keep the current status of the keyboard's shift key(s). So the reboot would clear the key.

In my opinion, it's not a firmware issue. In theory it could be over-come by making that key do nothing. Either by using <code>xmodmap</code> or firmware change, (harder). Of course, neither work around is desirable in the long run.