DonationCoder.com forum
 
Read-only archive. This is a static copy of the DonationCoder.com forum. Reading and searching work as before; logging in, posting and private messages do not.
Archive of 2026-10-21 · About this archive · Main site

Last post Author Topic: Do you use a light or a dark background in your editor for programming?  (Read 41,721 times)

hollowlife1987

  • Honorary Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 92
    • Participated in NANY Challenge Three Times
I've always used the default colors for all my programs, which happens to normally be dark on light.
But I do want to try out the light on dark scheme sometime.

wraith808

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 11,205
    • Participated in NANY Challenge Fourteen Times
    • Coding Snacks
    • Writer
    • Hardware Hacker
The theme I'm showing in my screenshot is the one I've been using for the last year or so, and it has served me very well so far :)

What editor is that; I don't recognize it...

Dirhael

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 387
The theme I'm showing in my screenshot is the one I've been using for the last year or so, and it has served me very well so far :)

What editor is that; I don't recognize it...

It's a fairly new (out of beta some months ago) editor called E. Great editor for my use :)
Registered nurse by day, hobby programmer by night.

wraith808

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 11,205
    • Participated in NANY Challenge Fourteen Times
    • Coding Snacks
    • Writer
    • Hardware Hacker
Thanks!  I actually already had a link to that editor, but had never gotten around to it.  I guess now I will!  Though truthfully, I don't need more editors (or software!) to try... I might need to borrow your avatar! LOL!

Mark0

  • Charter Honorary Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 654
Light, on Windows / Mac, let's say in any GUI environment.
In the DOS days, it was light gray (that is, dark white) on blue.

skyler

  • Participant
  • Joined in 2008
  • *
  • Posts: 1
I tested out the light yellow color as a background, and I have to say it is nice improvement over the standard white.  thanks for the suggestion!  for some reason I've never really liked a dark background.

mitzevo

  • Control is power
  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 462
    • Linux User
    • Furry Fandom Badge - Furry Fandom
I usually use the editor default [colors], and If I'm lucky enough to config colors I ... hey wait I don't.

When I was trying out E I noticed the default (iirc) color scheme was black bg and different colors (or perhaps I changed to this one..). At first it was unusual, but then after trying it for a while I realized it makes editing files so much easier (very much like to do with the syntax hi-lighting), for example you go to edit a .ini file in E, it's so easy to tell sections and variables from stuff you don't need to concern your self with.. So I think colors definitely help if set up correctly :)

So.. some people use dark and light, or light on dark. I myself haven't joined any side yet :P

:'(
The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2008, 07:40 AM by mitzevo »

Stoic Joker

  • Honorary Member
  • Joined in 2008
  • **
  • Posts: 6,652
    • Cody Award
    • Participated in NANY Challenge Five Times
Dark colored text with a white background for text editing definitely. However I also work at the command prompt extensively and can not function if it is not the (default) Exact opposite, white/gray text on black background. Which (as I think of it now...) doesn't make a damn bit of sense.

Anybody else share that hangup?

f0dder

  • [Well, THAT escalated quickly!]
  • Charter Honorary Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 9,153
    • Participated in NANY Challenge Once
I still think it was a mistake moving to black-on-white as a default, there's even a noticeable difference in CRT monitor power consumption... although it's not as much as some people claim, just a few Watts on my old 19" samsung.
- carpe noctem

Stoic Joker

  • Honorary Member
  • Joined in 2008
  • **
  • Posts: 6,652
    • Cody Award
    • Participated in NANY Challenge Five Times
I still think it was a mistake moving to black-on-white as a default, there's even a noticeable difference in CRT monitor power consumption... although it's not as much as some people claim, just a few Watts on my old 19" samsung.
Simple economics I suspect. In the DOS days computers were (had a) dark, ominous, and threatening interface that required cryptic commands that confused "normal" people. So MonkeySwift had to come up with a lighter (hearted looking), brighter, friendlier user interface that would lure folks out of (or into depending on you perspective...) the "shadows" to try this new, unique, and graphical ... way to play solitare... *Sigh*

Rover

  • Master of Smilies
  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 633
    • Linux User
Using the most awesome Boxer Text Editor with colors as orginally* intended.

boxerscrn.jpg



* See Turbo Pascal 3.0  ;D
Insert Brilliant Sig line here

e712

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 25
light
« Reply #36 on: January 31, 2008, 09:18 PM »
:)... and  don't use blinking text anymore now that I've replaced my Hercules graphics card.

Original address: https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=11508.0