reading online in white

[surendipity]

I love reading on this forum.
However, I can't for long, because reading white on black messes with my eyes and they grow tired and sore.

Is there any possibility that it could be changed to black on white?

Would make for faster and easier reading.

Would love to read more.


Surendipity

[monk]

You can add a "bookmarklet" to your browser bookmarks (=favorites) which does the job of converting the background of a HTML page to white and the text color to black!

(JavaScript has to be activated.)

Go to the page https://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/zap.html

Then RIGHT-click on the item "Zap Colors" and choose "Copy Link" (or "Copy Link Location") from the context menu.

Now the bookmarklet is in your computer's clipboard.

Create a new bookmark in your browser and make the bookmarklet the address of it (simply by pasting it from the clipboard into the address field in the "Properties" of the bookmark)! Yes, it seems strange at first, but it works.

Then load any page, go onto the new bookmark and - voila!

Best Wishes,
Monk

[surendipity]

Thank you will do

Surendipity

[Motrax]

Actually, white on black is more healthy for your eyes. Black on white is akin to starring at a light bulb. Especially at night, it's bad when your eyes are adjusted to the darkness of your surroundings but stare at a very bright computer screen.

[bernhard]

Actually, white on black is more healthy for your eyes. Black on white is akin to starring at a light bulb. Especially at night, it's bad when your eyes are adjusted to the darkness of your surroundings but stare at a very bright computer screen.

I agree. I much prefer reading the forum as it is.

[monk]

But when I read white on black for some time, I begin to see horizontal stripes! (Looks like a jalousie.)

They disappear after short time, but they are irritating.

So I prefer reading darker text on brighter background.

Best Wishes,
Monk

[xvimbi]

Actually, white on black is more healthy for your eyes. Black on white is akin to starring at a light bulb. Especially at night, it's bad when your eyes are adjusted to the darkness of your surroundings but stare at a very bright computer screen.

Ehem, I don't think that's correct. There is too much contrast in white text on black background, so the eyes tire much faster. Surendipity is right. It is stressful on the eyes in the long run. Usually, black text on a white background is the least stressful to read for extended periods, although some people prefer green on white. The most stressful is white or yellow text on a dark background. The key is to have a really good monitor, no flickering whatsoever. Every day, I stare for hours at 3D graphics. The only way to "survive" is having an excellent monitor and an excellent chair!

[Shagdac]

Surendipity,

I happen to prefer the white on black background myself, however was surprised when I did alittle checking on it....I thought this was interesting, and wanted to share it:
I searched the web under Eyestrain.

VIDEO DISPLAY TERMINAL CHARACTERISTICS
1. Good screen resolution is important- especially for extended work. Screens with more pixels generally provide better resolution.
2. Black characters on a white background is probably the best. However, other combinations can be comfortable so long as the brightness contrast between the characters and the background is high. It is best to avoid dark backgrounds.
3. The size of the text should be three times the size of the smallest text you can read. You can test this by viewing the screen from 3 times your usual working distance- you should still be able to read the text.
4. Monochrome displays usually have better resolution than color monitors. If the job does not require color, it is often best to use a monochrome monitor.
5. Although 60 Hertz is the most common refresh rate, higher refresh rates are preferred.
6. For color monitors, small dot pitches (less than 0.28mm) are desirable.
7. Adjust the screen brightness and contrast so that character definition and resolution is maximized.
8. The screen brightness should be adjusted to match the general background brightness of the room. This is much easier to do with light background screens.

I have found the biggest offender (for me anyway) to be the glare from other lighting sources located around my computer. Here at work I have about 15 computers in my room.....I work alone, so I turn off the lights and work pretty much in the dark except for everything being illuminated by the computer screens. There's no glare and my eyes never seem to tire from looking at the screens as they used to.

Hope this helps.

S ....(guess I could where shades at work)!

[monk]

Screens with more pixels generally provide better resolution.

Haha, what a insight...

Reminds me of a joke.

A man enters a bakery and says: "6 bagels please!"
The baker replies: "Why don't you take 7 - then you have one more!"



Best Wishes,
Monk

[xvimbi]

Haha, what a insight...

Well, my 23" monitor has more pixels than my 15" monitor, but has the same resolution. It has more pixels, because it is bigger. What counts is the number of pixels per unit area (and, of course, one also needs a graphics card that can provide higher resolution images).