Try having astigmatism, white text on a black background is physically painful
this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
24 points (75.0% liked)
Linux
63443 readers
443 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
I have astigmatism and the only time this gets problematic is when I don't adjust the brightness accordingly for dark mode.
Are there any sickos that use black text on white?
Hi.
I think the other way around: I read black letters on white paper when I read a book; why shouldn't it be the same on a screen? I find the black background more fatiguing for the eyes.
A book doesn't actively shine light at you. That being said, all colours are beautiful. Don't shame peoples taste or use-cases. Default background color should simply change with the dark mode setting.
from a design perspective, consistency is key. light mode is on? then light mode means light mode, and apps should be in light mode.
do you want both your terminal to be dark theme and your gtk apps (including all of the gnome UI) to be light theme at the same time?
do you want settings within every single app in order to change from light mode to dark mode, as opposed to a global toggle that applies to every UI on your computer?
alternatively, is the terminal the only exception to this global toggle, and this design inconsistency by having the default contradict the default of the rest of your desktop environment is your preference?
That's exactly how I like it. Terminal, white text om black background. Browser, etc in light mode.
I change mine to white text on blue background a la Commodore 64.
Oooh! I was orange(ish) text on black a la Wyse but I might change for a bit
Black on light grey. AmigaOS represent
Works best with an authentic font: https://gitlab.com/Screwtapello/topaz-unicode
Oh man, thank you for that. So many memories!
Are there any sickos that use black text on white?
IIRC that’s the default on macOS if the theme is in light mode instead of dark mode. So probably.
I'll occasionally switch to that as it shows up better on projection screens for presentations, but it's not my default.
It makes sense to use the same setting for this, at least by default, as for dark and light mode in general. Why would you want your terminal dark but your email client bright?
Because when you're terminaling, you're hacking, hence dark. When you're emailing, you're officeing, hence light.
What if I'm running an email client in the terminal? ;)
I myself prefer dark mode for everything. But if somebody prefers a bright background, why would they not in the terminal too?
I sometimes prefer light mode, for example on my laptop in bright environments because I find that it gives me better contrast and keeps more of the screen viewable
here is an interesting read: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003687016302459
I... like it 👀
Guess it depends on the theme. MacOS had it since OSX. FVWM back in the day. Just changes from time to time. If I'm in a bright ass room, sometimes it can be more comfortable.
I never noticed that the gnome terminal uses light mode by default. Bit everytime i had to use gnome the first thing i do is turn on dark mode in the settings, so maybe that's why.
Transparent is superior, fight me.
Before I fight you, I have one question:
With or without background blur?
Without, I'm still watching what's happening in that background window.
You're wrong.
If you are unable to change the default setting, you have no business opening a terminal.