White background or Black background suited for long term watching ?

Question

Hello,
  I saw many desktop themes with white or light grey background a few years ago, but now, many of them turn into black background with white or blue or cyan or others color of fonts.
  As a programmer, I am just curious about the theme: which type is suited for long term use of computer?
  I have tried both, and found grey background is easy to read because it is similiar to read on paper, but it looks like a lighting-bulb!; black background with blue font is cool, along with less luminosity, seems free my eyes.
  But another problem is the color choosing. With light grey background, it seems any color is right. But with black background, colors should be carefully selected, since some colors are not suit black background at all.
  Grayscale is another one. With light grey  background, I can easily tune my font in grayscale, like Japanese cartoon paper (I like it very much!), gracifully to distinct keywords. But with black background, it is ugly to use grayscale to distinct keywords.
  How about your ideas?
Last edited by ShinChyn (2010-05-29 08:20:50)

Answer 1

Dont mean to duplicate your effort Ogion, but Hrwa's Dark Forum userstyle worked well for me, and I only made a few changes. Here's what I use:
@namespace url(http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml);
@-moz-document domain("bbs.archlinux.org") {
/*#brdheader .box, #punredirect.pun{
background-image: url(http://stashbox.org/485258/2.png) !important;
body{
background: /*url(http://stashbox.org/485257/1.png)repeat-x top left */#111111 !important;}
td.tcl, td.tcr, #idx1>.box, #idx2>.box, #idx3>.box, #idx4>.box,
#brdstats.block>.box, #brdfooter.block>.box, #vf.blocktable>.box, .box>form,
.rowodd>.box>.inbox, .roweven>.box>.inbox, .roweven>.box, .rowodd>.box, h2,
.fakeform, #searchform.blockform>.box, .pun>.blockform>.box,
#users1.blocktable>.box,.block2col >.blockmenu >.box, .rowodd, .roweven,
#postpreview.blockpost>.box, #punredirect.pun>.block>.box>.inbox,
#punredirect.pun>.block>.box, #helpfile>.box{
background-color: #222222 !important;
border-color: #111111 !important}
th.tcl, th.tcr, .tc2, .tc3, blockquote, .codebox, .infldset>dl>dd{
background-color: #333333 !important;
border-color: #111111 !important;}
.tcl, .tc3, .tc2, .tcr, dd, dd>a:hover, .tcr>a:hover, h3>a:hover,
.conr>li>a:hover, .conl>li, .linkst>.inbox>ul>li>a:hover, .pagelink>a:hover,
.tclcon>a:hover, .tclcon>strong>a:hover, .postlink>a:hover, .conr>li>a:hover,
.subscribelink>a:hover, .postmsg>p, .postsignature, .incqbox, dt>strong>a:hover,
.postmsg>p>a:hover, .postsignature>strong>a:hover, .postsignature>a:hover,
.postquote>a:hover, .bblinks>li>a:hover, .incqbox>p>a:hover, .infldset>dl>dt,
.clearb, .conl, #profile1>p, .isactive>a, .postleft>dl>dt>strong,.infldset,
.linkst>.inbox>ul>li, .pun select, .postlinksb>.inbox>ul>li, .postfootleft>p,
#punredirect.pun>.block>.box>.inbox>p,
#punredirect.pun>.block>.box>.inbox>p>a:hover, .newtext>a:hover, .tc2>a:hover,
.postlinksb>.inbox>ul>li>a:hover, #helpfile>.box, .postedit>a:hover{
color: #999999 !important}
/* textbox */
.inform>fieldset>legend { color:#999999 !important;}
.infldset>label>textarea { color:#111111 !important; }
.postleft, .postfootleft, .blockpost label, .pun select{
background-color: #303030 !important}
.postright, .postfootright{
background-color: #222222 !important;
border-color: #303030 !important}
.icon{border-color: #999999 !important;}
.inew{border-color: #0771a6 !important;}
I commented out the external logo calls (since the new logo area fits really nicely with this style), The sections I commented out can probably be removed safely, and I made the textbox post area more readable.  Now I love the new webpage layout!
Here's the dark home page style I'm using, also based on Hrwa's archlinx homepage userstyle, but I havent made too many changes there, other than the package search box needed a little tweeking.   I havent really checked the other pages, I do know the wiki pages have some issues with this style, if anyone else wants to help out
@namespace url(http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml);
@-moz-document domain("www.archlinux.org"),
url-prefix("http://archlinux.org"),
domain("wiki.archlinux.org"),
domain("planet.archlinux.org"),
domain("bugs.archlinux.org"),
domain("repos.archlinux.org"),
domain("aur.archlinux.org"),
domain("projects.archlinux.org"){
/*#archtitle>a, #logo{
background-image: url(http://stashbox.org/485258/2.png) !important;
width: 341px !important;
height: 103px !important;
body{
background:/* url(http://stashbox.org/485257/1.png)repeat-x top left */#111111 !important;}
#content, .foot,code,#pkgsearch{background-color: #111111 !important;}
.searchButton, .historysubmit, input#searchInput, #wpMailmypassword,
#wpLoginattempt, .loginText, .loginPassword, #wpCreateaccount, #wpRealName,
#wpUserEmail, #wpNick, #wpUserLanguage, #wpOldpass, #wpNewpass, #wpRetypePass,
#prefcontrol>div>input, #wpHourDiff, #guesstimezonebutton, #wpCols, #wpRows,
#wpRecentDays, #wpRecent, #wpWatchlistEdits, #wpWatchlistDays, #wpSearch,
#wpSearchLines, #wpSearchChars, #wpStubs, #wpNewTitle, #wpReason,
#movepage>table>tbody>tr>td>input, #bodyContent>form>input, #wpSummary,
#wpPreview, #wpSave, #wpDiff
{color:#111111 !important}
#related.tab, #p-navigation>.pBody, #p-tb>.pBody, #searchBody, .box, #updates, #footer, .toc, #catlinks, .greybox,
#ca-nstab-main>a,#ca-talk>a, #ca-edit.istalk>a, #ca-edit>a, #ca-addsection>a,
#ca-history>a, #ca-viewsource>a, #pagehistory>li, #ca-nstab-project>a,
#ca-nstab-special>a, #ca-nstab-category>a, #mw-pages>table, #bodyContent>table,
#bodyContent>table>tbody>tr>td, .post2, .post-title>a, .post-contents,
.post-footer>p>a, .person-info, #gitbody, .page_header, .page_footer, input,
.light, #menu, #pm-menu, select, #tasklist_table > tbody > tr>td,
#taskdetails, #comments, #commentstab>a, #relatedtab>a, .vc_diff_header>th,
.vc_diff_chunk_header>td, .pgbox, .data2, #content>#search, #userloginForm>form,
#userloginForm>form>table, #userlogin2, #userlogin2>table, #ca-watch>a,
#ca-nstab-user>a, #preferences.jsprefs, #prefsection-0.prefsection>table,
#prefsection-0.prefsection>fieldset>table, #preftoc>li,
#prefsection-3.prefsection>fieldset>table,
#prefsection-5.prefsection>table, #prefsection-7.prefsection>table,
#ca-move>a, #movepage>table, #ca-unwatch>a, .redirectmessage,
#comments.tab>fieldset, #historytaba, #events, #ca-nstab-help>a, .notice,
.notice>tbody>tr>td>a>img, .notice>tbody>tr>td{
border-color: #111111 !important;
background-color: #222222 !important;}
.news, div>span, p, h3, td, h2, input, #lastmod, #viewcount,
#copyright, th>b, ul>li, ol>li, dl>dd, .results>tbody>tr>th>a,
.listing>tbody>tr>th,.results>tbody>tr>th, tr>th>b, pre, #bodyContent>div,
.pkgr2, #id_q, #id_last_update, td>input, #id_repo, #id_arch, #id_limit, .title,
#intromessage, #tasklist_table>thead>tr>th>a, #menu, select, #comments,
#fineprint, .vc_diff_header>th, .f3, .f4, .f2, .blue, .firstHeading,
.mw-headline,p>a:hover, td>a:hover, .news>a:hover, .foot>a:hover, span>a:hover,
.links>li>a:hover, b>a:hover, dd>a:hover, .listing>ul>li>a:hover,
.post-title>a:hover, #devlist>a:hover, #gitbody>.page_header>a:hover,
#gitbody>.page_nav>a:hover, #n-mainpage>a:hover, #n-portal>a:hover,
#n-currentevents>a:hover, #n-recentchanges>a:hover, #n-randompage>a:hover,
#n-help>a:hover, #n-sitesupport>a:hover, #t-whatlinkshere>a:hover,
#t-recentchangeslinked>a:hover, #t-upload>a:hover, #t-specialpages>a:hover,
#t-print>a:hover, #t-permalink>a:hover, #bodyContent>ul>li>a:hover,
.rcoptions>a:hover, #mw-pages>table>tbody>tr>td>ul>li>a:hover,
.external:hover, .toctext:hover, .tocnumber:hover, #toplevellink:hover,
#homelink:hover, #roadmaplink:hover, #intromessage>a:hover, #fineprint>a:hover,
#taskdetailstext>a:hover,#comments>em>a:hover,
#comments>div.attachments>a:hover, .comment_changes>li>a:hover,
.commenttext>a:hover, #preftoc>li>a, #comment_text, #bodyContent{
color: #999999 !important;}
b>a, p>a, dd>a, h5, #n-mainpage>a, #n-portal>a, #n-currentevents>a,
#n-recentchanges>a, #n-randompage>a, #n-help>a, #n-sitesupport>a,
#t-whatlinkshere>a, #t-recentchangeslinked>a, #t-upload>a, #t-specialpages>a,
#t-print>a, #t-permalink>a, .toctext, .tocnumber, .toctoggle, td>a, span>a,
#bodyContent>ul>li>a, #bodyContent>ul>li>ul>li>a, #ca-nstab-main>a, #ca-talk>a,
#ca-edit.istalk>a, #ca-addsection>a, #ca-history>a, #ca-viewsource>a,
#ca-edit>a, #ca-nstab-project>a, #ca-nstab-special>a, #ca-nstab-category>a,
#mw-pages>table>tbody>tr>td>ul>li>a, .page_header,
.page_header>a, .page_nav>a, #intromessage>a, #toplevellink, #homelink,
#roadmaplink, #fineprint>a, #taskdetailstext>a, #comments>em>a,
#comments>div.attachments>a, .comment_changes>li>a, .commenttext>a, .black,
.rcoptions>a, #ca-watch>a, #ca-move>a, #ca-unwatch>a, #bodyContent>ol>li>a,
#bodyContent>ul>li>ul>li>ul>li>a{
color: #0771a6 !important;}
.comment-header, .pkgr2, #id_q, #id_last_update, td>input, #id_repo, #id_arch, #id_limit,
#bodyContent>table>tbody>tr>th,
.dark, .title, #lbl_user_name,
#lbl_password, #searchtext, #taskid, #taskrange, #numbers, .summary,
#comments>div.attachments, #taskdetailsfull>.attachments,.vc_diff_change,
.boxSoft, .pgboxtitle, .boxSoftTitle, .data1, legend, #preftoc>li.selected,
#comment_text{
background-color: #333333 !important;}
.post-title>a, .post2, .post-footer>p>a, .person-info{
background-image: none !important;}
.vc_diff_add{background-color: #397f37 !important;}
.vc_diff_remove, .outofdate{background-color: #bf6b6b !important;}
.vc_diff_empty{background-color: #999999 !important;}
tr>th{background-color: #0771a6 !important;}
pre, #bodyContent>div{background-color: #222222 !important;}
.pgboxtitle, .boxSoftTitle{border-color: #222222 !important;}
#pkgsearch{width: 275px!important;}
this is how I like my archlinux.org to look