Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!cbmvax!andy
From: andy@cbmvax.commodore.com (Andy Finkel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: New "Style Guide" menus question.
Message-ID: <22662@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 24 Jun 91 20:06:49 GMT
References: <3412@shodha.enet.dec.com> <22626@cbmvax.commodore.com> <20867@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Reply-To: andy@cbmvax.commodore.com (Andy Finkel)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 46

In article <20867@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> lindwall@beowulf.ucsd.edu (John Lindwall) writes:
>In article <22626@cbmvax.commodore.com> andy@cbmvax.commodore.com (Andy Finkel) writes:
>>The dark menus only appeared in 2.0;  in 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 we
>>had menus with a white background.  And we liked them.
>>
>>Perhaps in a future revision of Intuition, if the menu system
>>is revamped, we can go back to dark text on a light background
>>for menus, as =RJ= intended.
>
>I'm curious as to the reasons for preferring one scheme over the other.
>Is there some pyschological/biological/ergonomic reason for preferring 
>dark text on light?
>

It's more readable; and your characters tend not to get scan lines showing
up through them with dark text on a light background.  This was one
of the main arguments that caused us to switch the color palette
for 2.0, btw.

One point:  if you are using custom screens under 2.0 you can set your
color palette so the menus are dark text on light background today.  It's
only when appearing on the workbench do you have problems.

		andy

>Some additional thoughts on the Amiga User Interface Style Guide:
>
>Good job people!  I really enjoyed the books' content and style.  The
>justification for standardization of user interface elements was very
>well presented, in particular.
>

Thanks.  We appreciate that.  I guess those meeting-length arguments
finally paid off :-)

>John Lindwall			lindwall@cs.ucsd.edu

		andy
-- 
andy finkel		{uunet|rutgers|amiga}!cbmvax!andy
Commodore-Amiga, Inc.

 "2.0 is not the answer.  2.0 is the question.  Yes is the answer."

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