[Quitch]

A poll at Ars has just brought to light something that has always annoyed me. Dark text ona light background. Reading page after page, starting into the floodlight that is my monitor displaying Beyond3D, I start to get some real eye strain.

Is there any possibility of an alternate stylesheet (since Mozilla products for one can switch between stylesheets with a couple of clicks) for the site which changes to white text on a black background? I'd also like something similar for the foums which can be selected in preferences.

I've always wondered why black on white became so popular. It never used to be this way (e.g. terminals used to use white on black and green on black), so what the heck caused people to want to stare right into a bright light source all day? Who thought this would be a good idea, eh?

[Simon F]

Originally Posted by Quitch

I've always wondered why black on white became so popular. It never used to be this way (e.g. terminals used to use white on black and green on black), so what the heck caused people to want to stare right into a bright light source all day? Who thought this would be a good idea, eh?

Ever wondered why books don't use white ink on a black page? (I mean they have to bleach paper to get it white so it wouldn't be hard to do the other way around)

Terminals used to be that way because it was easier to do not because it was better on the eyes.

[Quitch]

Books do white on black because the book absorbs light. Monitors don't, they project it. If anything, this makes the white on black method more logical. If you look at your monitor displaying a pure white screen for very long, you will get blurry vision, it's because you're basically starting into a lamp.

Anyway, I'm not asking for a theme change, rather alternate stylesheet options.

Terminals used to do it because it reduced burn in and lowered power usage.

[Saem]

Yeah, I liked the old black and orange, I wish that would just be the B3D.

[epicstruggle]

Originally Posted by Saem

Yeah, I liked the old black and orange, I wish that would just be the B3D.

i used to program fotran on an old terminal hocked up to a vax machine (college). the orange/black screen was the best ever. Supposed to be the best color scheme to prevent eye strain.

epic

[Simon F]

Originally Posted by Quitch

Books do white on black because the book absorbs light.

????!!! The white paper absorbs some light, but it's only going to be about 5%. The remaining % is reflected.

Mind you, I suppose the contrast could be a little higher on B3D.

Monitors don't, they project it.

For all intents and purposes, there is no difference. Monitors don't reflect much light and so an illuminated monitor is not greatly different, in this regard, to a piece of paper that has a light source shining on it.

If anything, this makes the white on black method more logical. If you look at your monitor displaying a pure white screen for very long, you will get blurry vision, it's because you're basically starting into a lamp.

If the screen is pure white then your vision system has nothing to focus on. Of course your eyes will go a bit funny. The same thing happens to (SLR) autofocus cameras if you point them at a blank wall or ceiling.

Terminals used to do it because it reduced burn in and lowered power usage.

Which is technically simpler. I think there was another reason - possibly that the refresh rate and hence data rate had to be higher.

Originally Posted by Saem

Yeah, I liked the old black and orange, I wish that would just be the B3D.

I don't think that was any easier to read:

[Simon F]

AHHH! It's just dawned on me why people are possibly assuming the old white/green/orange on black seemed comparatively good....

They are all monochromatic CRT monitors and, unlike colour CRTs, they don't need to have to an aperture grill/shadow mask to support colour and so should be able to achieve higher rates of change/contrast.

You should, instead, go and look at the old Xerox and Mac displays that were also monochrome but did black on white.

[london-boy]

I always prefer the YELLOW-on-PURPLE option where available. Who needs drugs with that..?

[Simon F]

Originally Posted by london-boy

I always prefer the YELLOW-on-PURPLE option

Do you mean bruises or some hideous skin disease?

[london-boy]

Originally Posted by Simon F

Do you mean bruises or some hideous skin disease?

Both. And blindness.

[Quitch]

The sun will blind you, the moon, which reflects its light, is a pale ball. A book of black (which is harder, more complicated and more expensive to produce than a white one, which is the real reason for black on white) is harder to read.

Paper isn't bright, it's dull. It doesn't glare and it doesn't project light. A monitor does, yes it may be a small amount of light, but it's still projecting it and you're still staring into it.

I found your orange on black forum a beautiful thing, very easy to read, and much easier than this black on white. Actually, if you'll notice the forum isn't white, it's light blue and grey, and it's because white on a monitor is such a pain in large quantities that forums are configured this way.

Monitors don't reflect much light and so an illuminated monitor is not greatly different, in this regard, to a piece of paper that has a light source shining on it.

But paper doesn't tend to have a light source shining on it, at least, not in the way you seem to suggest which is comparable to a monitor. I can move the paper and reposition the light source. You can do neither with a monitor.