Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!brunix!rca From: rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Apps in color Keywords: color interface Stuart Message-ID: <71371@brunix.UUCP> Date: 9 Apr 91 07:34:16 GMT References: <468@heaven.woodside.ca.us> Sender: news@brunix.UUCP Reply-To: rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony) Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science Lines: 36 In article <468@heaven.woodside.ca.us> glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us (Glenn Reid) writes: >By the way, it is NOT a good idea to use different background colors in >a window, or to change the window border, or the color of fonts. It is >a violation of the user interface guidelines, and not worth it. If you >want that kind of color support, buy an Amiga :-) Stuart is a terminal >emulator, and I can't think of a single good reason why you should be able >to change colors in a terminal emulator, other than to amuse yourself. > >Color is reserved for the CONTENTS of a window, and should be used only >for things that really are colored, or for better illustration/rendering >(as in CAD or scientific visualization). Color should not be used, in >general, for elements of the user interface. This is as it should be. The content of a terminal emulators window is the text. Even in WriteNow I would like to change the colors of text and paper. First I want to be able to get an impression how it would look if I printed a letter on colored paper, second I might have a ColorPS printer and want to output colored text, etc. Also, some do not only want to emulate a terminals esc-sequences but also their nice green-on-black look and feel. :-) Seriously, if you are working many hours on text editing on a NeXT, you sometimes wish you could give your eyes a break and look at something else for a while than the agressive white background. I'd often like to swich to black on light gray or maybe some unobtrusive color (if I had a color screen). I agree however that the GUI elements should remain uncolored, except for icons and warning messages. (If you are about to format your entire HD, an agressive red is not at the wrong place) Ronald ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." G.B. Shaw | rca@cs.brown.edu or antony@browncog.bitnet