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Dark Mode Sucks

tomechangosubanana.com

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Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#161

Post by [deleted] »

npteljes wrote: post #148
simonw wrote: post #35

I occasionally get requests from readers to add a dark mode to my blog - https://simonwillison.net/ - and I'm never sure how much priority I should give those, as someone who almost never chooses to use dark mode. Dark mode fans: does it really bother you to read white web pages?

I'd guess so, yes. I think dark mode users leave the screen brighter than it should be, because in dark mode, it doesn't matter as much as it does in light mode. Then, after looking at dark things for a while, the eye gets used to the light level, and then opening a white page is like a supernova happening in front of the user's face. In short, with dark mode, the lightness baseline is much lower, and a light page di…

[deleted]

Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#162

Post by [deleted] »

Jordan-117 wrote: post #99

Maybe I'm weird, but I just stick with whatever the default is per app. Discord and Spotify and MetaFilter dark, Slack and Gmail and HN light. It feels strange switching either to the non-default, but have no preference for either as a whole.

[deleted]

Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#163

Post by trymas »

semiinfinitely wrote: post #16

> your ambient lighting is crap . That will kill your eyesight it is a myth that dim lighting negatively impacts eyesight long term.

At least before you are grown up - that’s absolutely proven truth.

Until you are an adult - you must get outside light (even if it’s overcast winter). On average - luminosity (I hope that’s the term) outside is orders of magnitude above indoors, even when it’s overcast.

Kids without enough light have much bigger risk of shortsightedness. Because eyeball development is related to light.

There was even an article about this on HN couple weeks ago.

Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#164

Post by b2ccb2 »

HumanOstrich wrote: post #106
godelski wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wikipedia, you can solve this with one line of code. Just changing one variable name... Seriously, the fact that light vs dark is even an issue is silly. It only exists out of laziness and that's what we should really be mad about

While I agree that it's not as complicated as some make it out to be, let's not pretend it's just one variable change.

filter: invert(1);

Or, my dark mode for HN:

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { html { background-color: #000; } body, td[bgcolor="#ff6600"] { filter: invert(1); } }

Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#165

Post by port11 »

evanjrowley wrote: post #10

Without taking an extreme or absolutist stance on this issue, I generally agree with the author here. Dark mode should be reserved for after sunset and before sunrise. The eyes are adapted to see daylight levels of light during daytime. If your ambient lighting and screen don't match this, then you're not using your body in the way it's evolved to function. What we need more of are screens with anti-glare and a wide…

I don't disagree with most of your message, but it seems lack of sunlight is as much (or more) to blame. You can use dark mode AND go outside as much as possible. The blue light emitted by a screen is no substitute for the ball of fusion in the sky.

Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#166

Post by consumer451 »

glimshe wrote: post #79

I have eye floaters. Dark mode saved my career. You don't like it? Don't use it.

I had Advanced Neurological Lyme disease a few years ago. It temporarily changed my eyesight in a way that made black text on a white background entirely unusable.

Having dark mode as an option is an easy accessibility win. On the other hand, not having light mode as an option is just pure laziness in 2025.

Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#167

Post by hulitu »

> Dark Mode Sucks

Light mode sucks the same. I need contrast damn it. I need to be able to select my background and foreground color like in Win 95 (or X wimdows with Xt).

Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#169

Post by morgan814 »

My eyes are extremely sensitive to light so dark mode with a yellow filter is my preference. Too much of the wrong light triggers a weird dissociative-type response in my head and feels terrible. I’d be interested if anyone else uses dark mode specifically for this reason.

At the same time I have pretty extreme myopia and astigmatism which, from what I’ve seen, makes me an ideal candidate for light mode.

On e-ink I 100% prefer light mode (dark text) to be preferable though.

Weird how argumentative people get about this though. Feels like vim/emacs level stuff.

Re: Dark Mode Sucks

#170

Post by Jotalea »

I can't read the article since the server returns a 404 (not found). I'm guessing it was too much of a hot take that it had to be removed.
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