ATS 2010 - Part Three - Dark Meat or Light Meat?

I say Dark. It certainly far easier on the eyes.

Thanks for giving us back the option to 'go lite'.. A lot of us really appreciate it. I know I sure do.

Dark. Less energy used, easier on the eyes for people who research online all the time, aka ats users

Dark Meat. The new theme looks good...although there are some ugly colors...

Thanks for putting the light option back again.

it wasn't that we were asking for the whole site to be all light, just to have the option to change it for the sake of our eyes.

No question; the dark alternative.
I am trying to be clandestine here!


Besides, the bright light burns! Oh my God, it buuuurns!!!

"We who run from the presence of the sun
By the voived bitter gleam,
chasing darkness like a dream..."

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
While there are many good reasons (most from your optometrist) to display light-gray text on a dark-gray background for text-heavy content on a computer screen, the fact remains that our eyes/brain have been trained since soon-after birth to recognize black text on white (or near-white) paper.

SO, while it may be true that many years ago people were used to mainly reading black text on white, it wasn't a matter of "conditioning" per se. People simply recognized the contrast between the text and the background, in the same way that a line drawn in the sand can be better seen when the sunlight makes a stronger shadow. Simply put, the better the contrast, the easier it can be to read the text. (Not always, though, if the colors are too garish.)

But even if we want to argue the "conditioning" point, things have moved on. We don't just read text in books, but in magazines, on packaging, street signs, billboards and so on. I have magazines like National Geographic where they sometimes use different-colored backgrounds and text colors. As for packaging, just in my kitchen I have coffee jars with white text on brown background, cornflakes (generic) with dark blue on light blue, and so on and so on. And how many road signs have black text/symbols on a white background?

However, on a computer screen rather than in the "real world", dark is better for the reasons others have mentioned. These screens throw light at our eyes so when we read for long periods it's good to reduce the amount of it. Also, as the screen is dark until pixels are lit by the use of energy, it makes sense to me that if we have a predominantly dark screen with lighter text on it, then the computer should be using a little less energy for display. It might not seem significant, but considering our large and still-growing membership, it's a useful energy saving.

So -- dark for me!

Just a request/suggestion if I may: a few members have avatars that "flash" in bright and varied colors at a rapid rate. I have an epileptic condition and just seeing such an avatar by the text makes me feel very ill, very quickly. Covering it up with a strip of heavy paper is an option but that doesn't help if I get caught unawares. I'm certainly not the only member who has such a condition so I'd like to ask if there is a way we can disable any avatars that "flash" or "pulse" before we enter the forums. I don't like "ignoring" people just because of their avatar.

Mike

[edit on 13/2/10 by JustMike]

dark, keep the light for bts I would say

reply to post by SkepticOverlord

Dark.

Thank you.

[edit on 13-2-2010 by ofhumandescent]

So what if you're a vegetarian

A bit of discriminating here. I'm hurt

Dark site please

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


I vote for light.

I will admit that the dark gray background might be a bit easier on the eyes, however....(and this might sound like a crackpot answer, but it's true).... psychologically, the dark background also puts me in a more somber mood. The lighter background makes me feel "happier." And when I'm happier, I feel more sociable....and more apt to read more threads, and more apt to chat, write, socialize, and debate.

I usually feel a little "subversive" when I come onto ATS, simply because of all the darkness on the page. I'd rather have it not be so dark and somber. Also, sometimes I feel that the mood here on ATS has gotten VERY dark lately. Maybe lightening up the background might help change the mood around here. (I'm all for discussing heavy subjects, but still....there's no reason why everybody has to be in a bad mood all the time!)

So, I guess I'd vote for ATS to "lighten up" a bit.





[edit on 13-2-2010 by nikiano]

Dark side all the way!! As can be evidenced from my profile/Avatar, I'm kind of on the dark side here... It just fits my whole persona here, as well as it makes it easier to view.

Regardless of the previous, whatever ends up being chosen is peachy by me. I'm not going anywhere, even if it turns out to be pink on pink... If that happens though, we're gonna have to talk!!

TheBorg

reply to post by TheBorg


Good point. Hence, there ain't no dark side of the moon. Everything is dark

Please refrain from changing the current format. If members are having trouble seeing the text, maybe turning on a background light inside the room that they are in would help. It works for me. Just a suggestion.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Have to say Dark for me - Easy on the eyes.

Going light would ruin my avatar....I vote Dark..!!

dark meat - older generation used to light text on a dark background as to say like the monochrome display light green on black background back in the day on the 8088 oh should i say late 60s early 70s terminals also less brightness and strain on the eyes

light meat - newer generation dark text on a light background as the earliest
personal computers like Apple Mac -dark gray on light gray background , commodore 64 lite blue on dark blue background in the 80s early 90s (standard) also easier to see but having hours staring at a light background you kinda get the whiteout feeling



my vote ! Dark Meat!!!

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


I personaly prefer the light text on the darker background because it is easier to read in the dark, and really jumps off the screen when its light out. Of course I find it easier to TYPE black words on a light background , but for reading purposes I find the current method very comfortable indeed. Thanks for your time

I think light is a good contrast with many colours as I am used to using the original dark background here on ats. Sometimes I struggle to comprehend such worded text as grey and black is a lot harder to read than light grey and dark black text. Therefore with perfect 20/20 vision I think it would be a wise idea to choose a light background as my eyes will not have to work as hard to read the content on the forum. Thankyou for hearing my vote.

I'm glad to see the light back, yes I prefer Light