diff --git a/data/default_config.cfg b/data/default_config.cfg
index 76e02d57..8871de15 100644
--- a/data/default_config.cfg
+++ b/data/default_config.cfg
@@ -230,18 +230,20 @@ roster_show_offline = false
 #   - jid: sort by JID (alphabetical order)
 #   - show: sort by show (available/away/xa/…)
 #   - name: sort by roster name (if no name, then the bare jid is used)
+#   - sname: case-sensitive name sorting (uppercase first)
 #   - resource: sort by resource number
 #   - online: sort by online presence (online or not)
 # You can arrange them however you like, and you have to separate them with
-# underscores "_". Keep in mind that if there are more than 3 or 4 your sorting
-# is most likely inefficient.
-roster_sort = jid_show
+# colons (":"). Keep in mind that if there are more than 3 or 4 your
+# sorting is most likely inefficient.
+roster_sort = jid:show
 
 # How to sort the roster groups.
 # The principles are the same as roster_sort.
 # Available methods are:
 #   - reverse: reverse the sorting
 #   - name: sort by group name (alphabetical order)
+#   - sname: case-sensitive name sorting (uppercase first)
 #   - fold: sort unfolded/folded
 #   - connected: sort by number of connected contacts
 #   - size: sort by group size
diff --git a/doc/en/configure.txt b/doc/en/configure.txt
index 8331d2ea..dc802690 100644
--- a/doc/en/configure.txt
+++ b/doc/en/configure.txt
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ section of this documentation.
 
   Set this to true if you want to display the offline contacts too.
 
-*roster_sort*:: jid_show
+*roster_sort*:: jid:show
 
   How you want the contacts to be sorted inside the roster groups. The given
   methods are used sequentially (from left to right), so the last one is the
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ section of this documentation.
     * online: sort by online presence (online or not)
 
   Those methods can be arranged however you like, and they have to be
-  separated by underscores ("_"). If there are more than 3 or 4 chained
+  separated by colons (":"). If there are more than 3 or 4 chained
   sorting methods, your sorting is most likely inefficient.
 
 *roster_group_sort*:: name
diff --git a/src/roster.py b/src/roster.py
index c5f89218..af3c3563 100644
--- a/src/roster.py
+++ b/src/roster.py
@@ -13,35 +13,14 @@ import logging
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 from config import config
-from os import path as p
 from contact import Contact
+from roster_sorting import SORTING_METHODS, GROUP_SORTING_METHODS
+
+from os import path as p
 from sleekxmpp.xmlstream.stanzabase import JID
 from sleekxmpp.exceptions import IqError
 
 
-def sort_group_name(group):
-    return group.name.lower()
-
-def sort_group_folded(group):
-    return group.folded
-
-def sort_group_connected(group):
-    return - group.get_nb_connected_contacts()
-
-def sort_group_size(group):
-    return - len(group)
-
-def sort_group_none(group):
-    return 0 if group.name != 'none' else 1
-
-GROUP_SORTING_METHODS = {
-        'name': sort_group_name,
-        'fold': sort_group_folded,
-        'connected': sort_group_connected,
-        'size': sort_group_size,
-        'none': sort_group_none,
-}
-
 class Roster(object):
     """
     The proxy class to get the roster from SleekXMPP.
@@ -121,7 +100,7 @@ class Roster(object):
         """Return a list of the RosterGroups"""
         group_list = sorted(filter(lambda x: bool(x), self.groups.values()), key=lambda x: x.name.lower())
 
-        for sorting in sort.split('_'):
+        for sorting in sort.split(':'):
             if sorting == 'reverse':
                 group_list = list(reversed(group_list))
             else:
@@ -230,43 +209,6 @@ class Roster(object):
         except IOError:
             return
 
-PRESENCE_PRIORITY = {'unavailable': 5,
-                     'xa': 4,
-                     'away': 3,
-                     'dnd': 2,
-                     '': 1,
-                     'available': 1}
-
-def sort_jid(contact):
-    return contact.bare_jid
-
-def sort_show(contact):
-    res = contact.get_highest_priority_resource()
-    if not res:
-        return 5
-    show = res.presence
-    if show not in PRESENCE_PRIORITY:
-        return 0
-    return PRESENCE_PRIORITY[show]
-
-def sort_resource_nb(contact):
-    return - len(contact)
-
-def sort_name(contact):
-    return contact.name.lower() or contact.bare_jid
-
-def sort_online(contact):
-    result = sort_show(contact)
-    return 0 if result < 5 else 1
-
-SORTING_METHODS = {
-    'jid': sort_jid,
-    'show': sort_show,
-    'resource': sort_resource_nb,
-    'name': sort_name,
-    'online': sort_online,
-}
-
 class RosterGroup(object):
     """
     A RosterGroup is a group containing contacts
@@ -312,7 +254,7 @@ class RosterGroup(object):
             else [contact for contact in self.contacts.copy() if contact_filter[0](contact, contact_filter[1])]
         contact_list = sorted(contact_list, key=SORTING_METHODS['name'])
 
-        for sorting in sort.split('_'):
+        for sorting in sort.split(':'):
             if sorting == 'reverse':
                 contact_list = list(reversed(contact_list))
             else:
diff --git a/src/roster_sorting.py b/src/roster_sorting.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c57f0dce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/roster_sorting.py
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+"""
+Defines the roster sorting methods used in roster.py
+(for contacts/groups)
+"""
+
+########################### Contacts sorting ############################
+
+PRESENCE_PRIORITY = {'unavailable': 5,
+                     'xa': 4,
+                     'away': 3,
+                     'dnd': 2,
+                     '': 1,
+                     'available': 1}
+
+def sort_jid(contact):
+    """Sort by contact JID"""
+    return contact.bare_jid
+
+def sort_show(contact):
+    """Sort by show (from high availability to low)"""
+    res = contact.get_highest_priority_resource()
+    if not res:
+        return 5
+    show = res.presence
+    if show not in PRESENCE_PRIORITY:
+        return 0
+    return PRESENCE_PRIORITY[show]
+
+def sort_resource_nb(contact):
+    """Sort by number of connected resources"""
+    return - len(contact)
+
+def sort_name(contact):
+    """Sort by name (case insensitive)"""
+    return contact.name.lower() or contact.bare_jid
+
+def sort_sname(contact):
+    """Sort by name (case sensitive)"""
+    return contact.name or contact.bare_jid
+
+def sort_online(contact):
+    """Sort by connected/disconnected"""
+    result = sort_show(contact)
+    return 0 if result < 5 else 1
+
+SORTING_METHODS = {
+    'jid': sort_jid,
+    'sname': sort_sname,
+    'show': sort_show,
+    'resource': sort_resource_nb,
+    'name': sort_name,
+    'online': sort_online,
+}
+
+
+######################## Roster Groups sorting ##########################
+
+def sort_group_name(group):
+    """Sort by name (case insensitive)"""
+    return group.name.lower()
+
+def sort_group_sname(group):
+    """Sort by name (case-sensitive)"""
+    return group.name
+
+def sort_group_folded(group):
+    """Sort by folded/unfolded"""
+    return group.folded
+
+def sort_group_connected(group):
+    """Sort by number of connected contacts"""
+    return - group.get_nb_connected_contacts()
+
+def sort_group_size(group):
+    """Sort by group size"""
+    return - len(group)
+
+def sort_group_none(group):
+    """Put the none group at the end, if any"""
+    return 0 if group.name != 'none' else 1
+
+GROUP_SORTING_METHODS = {
+        'name': sort_group_name,
+        'fold': sort_group_folded,
+        'connected': sort_group_connected,
+        'size': sort_group_size,
+        'none': sort_group_none,
+        'sname': sort_group_sname,
+}
+