Tim BrayJun 14, 2023
OK, take two. I launched this with only two options and got (justifiably) yelled at. I thought that Dark was going to win going away, but apparently it's close enough to be interesting. So, please boost and let’s take a wider sample.
Light Mode
19.1%
Dark Mode
41.7%
Both, it depends
39.2%
Poll ended at .
Show threadrob pikeJun 14, 2023
@timbray For old eyes, dark mode is significantly harder to read due to blooming. In light mode, or as we call it, paper, the bleeding is much less noticeable.
Show threadMichael GurskiJun 14, 2023

@robpike @timbray funny, I was going to go the other way, only because the bright backgrounds tend to be more annoying to me, so I often opt for darker themes. Of course, being the fickle person I am, sometimes I'll let an app or OS switch based on time of day or ambient illumination levels.

That's all on an emissive screen, though. A *mumble*Kindle*mumble* I like light when there's light and don't need rear illumination, but definitely prefer inverse in the dark.

Show threadMr. Matt  

@emag @robpike @timbray you can't just say "white text on black background" and expect instant readability. You need to consider overall brightness, contrast, sharpness, light bloom and bleed, specific color palette, and even font and letter size.

A lot of so-called dark themes don't do this, and instead just pick the path of least resistance. As a result they look horrible and cause eye strain on any bright 23" LCD, especially in a dimly lit room.

Jun 14, 2023 at 4:34amWeb
Show threadMr. Matt  Jun 14, 2023
@emag @robpike @timbray been my experience that desktop LCD screens are also much, much harder to quickly adjust brightness on, unlike laptop and cell phone/tablet screens. That doesn't help much either.