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Ask HN: Your code editor, black on white or white on black?

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Re: Ask HN: Your code editor, black on white or white on black?

#31

I tend to use a light to medium grey on black because I don't like the mega contrast of white on black. But for the purpose of your survey, I answered 'white on black'.

Likewise. Also, I don't like highly saturated colors. I've tried a few different color schemes and while I did like Solarized Dark I keep coming back to Zenburn[1] for its muted, low contrast palette. I haven't found anything better.

[1] http://slinky.imukuppi.org/zenburnpage/

Re: Ask HN: Your code editor, black on white or white on black?

#33
I wouldn't say white on black, more like grey and some other muted colors on black.

I remember making the switch from black on white. I was working a contract job with ungodly hours and my eyes were pretty much always red and irritated. I started to notice certain colors on the screen were particularly irritating so I started to fiddle with the color scheme and eventually ended up with the light on black scheme.

It was astonishing how much it helped my eyes.

Re: Ask HN: Your code editor, black on white or white on black?

#35
post #22

Eclipse: black on white Terminal: white on black I tried to go black on white all the way a while ago, because it is annoying to switch between eclipse + websites and the terminal. It seems however that the default gnome-terminal palette and most programs are optimized for white on black. With a lot of effort I found an acceptable 256-color scheme for terminal vim, but I gave up and reverted when the output "ack" bec…

thumbs up! using same seutp.

Re: Ask HN: Your code editor, black on white or white on black?

#37
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, light or dark? I go Solarized Light.

Light, which I voted for. Been using it for >1yr and so far so good, more soothing to look at. You?

I've also been using solarized light in vim, urxvt, and Awesome WM on Linux. On Windows at work I use solarized light in Putty, Mintty, Eclipse, and Gvim.

Re: Ask HN: Your code editor, black on white or white on black?

#39
post #21
post #11

I have this (perhaps mistaken) notion that when I'm staring at a screen for 12 hours straight, it's better for my eyes to be looking at a mostly dark screen than a mostly lit one. At the very least, thanks to that link a year ago about how google would save electricity for the world by adopting a black background, I know that I'm saving the environment!

( http://ecoiron.blogspot.com/2007/01/black-google-would-save-... ) I'd be interested to see figures for modern monitors.

That would be true for Amoled screens, but for now they're only used in mobile phones.

Re: Ask HN: Your code editor, black on white or white on black?

#40
post #5

I've found that black on white works better (for me) in daylight, and white on black in a dark room.

That's most likely because ambient light reflections are more noticeable when reflected by a dark screen than a light one. I do much of my coding on the train to and from work where the lighting is quite harsh and the angles unpredictable, so it's a light screen all the way for me.
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