Why Green on Black?

Alan P. Scott - Recursive

"I like my words to glow."


"You know, you can change the settings on that," Edwin had pointed out. "You don't have to make the letters luminescent green; you can make them black on white if you want." But Jenni had just smiled and said, "I like my words to glow."
--Will Ferguson, Happiness™

If your browser is one that will allow me to specify display colors for you, and if you have not prevented me from doing so, you're seeing my site as green text on a black background. This is a considered choice based on a longstanding bias of mine. I was introduced to computers before the advent of color displays, and got used to the idea that this was the way computer screens were supposed to look. The other alternatives available at the time seemed worse - white text is too stark for extended use, and amber has always seemed just a little goofy to me.

I have heard of studies which say black text on an off-white background is the easiest to read, but I've never found that to be so on a monitor.

I find these colors soothing. If you really get bent about it, though, you can probably tell your browser to display my text in any color combination you please.


©1994, 1997, 1999, 2004 Alan P. Scott. All rights reserved.

Last updated February 26, 2004.

Contact me:

ascott@pacifier.com