Re: Can we add an option to set overall colors in NB 5?

Poking around a little, it appears that NetBeans obeys the AWT system 
color set, which is derived from the underlying windowing system's color 
scheme.  As an experiment, I switched my home XP system (don't mock, 
it's good for games!) to use the Windows Classic appearance and set the 
window text color to be grey.  NetBeans redrew itself using these 
colors, except for the editor windows which kept with the color options 
settings.  Personally, I think it makes a lot of sense for NetBeans to 
adhere to the global color preferences of standard windows, instead of 
duplicating every option internally.

I don't know how all Java AWT implementations determine their system 
colors, but it is directly queried from the windowing system on Windows. 
  Try changing your computer's window colors to ones you like, and see 
if the AWT on that platform will pick them up.  Tomorrow when I'm back 
at work on a real operating system, I'll play around some more.

Tom

Ivan Soleimanipour wrote:
>>Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 11:25:45 -0400
>>From: Thomas Wolf <[email protected]>
>>To: [email protected]
>>Subject: [nbui] Can we add an option to set overall colors in NB 5?
>>
>>
>>The new Options dialog is pretty nice and I appreciate the fact that
>>now I can set default foreground/background colors for all languages
>>for the editor.  But I'm wondering how to set the background color of
>>the various other Netbeans windows (e.g. Projects, Navigator, Output,
>>etc.?) As it stands, the "Fonts and Colors" category shouldn't be a
>>top-level category under "Options" - since it's specific to the source
>>editor (it should go under the "Editor" category.)
>>
>>Will this change?  More importantly to me, how do I change those window
>>background colors?  Do I still have to delve into some arcane
>>configuration file?
>>
>>Am I the only one who can't stand white? :-)
>>
> 
> 
> 
> No you're not.
> 
> After using newer aqua L&F for a while I get eye-strain. 
> So no more putting off: 
> 
> http://www.netbeans.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=67463
> 
> 
> My C++ compiler engineer friend Lawrence next-door is even more
> sensitive so he had trouble with even the metal L&F. That's
> one of his must-fixes before he even tries an NB-based IDE.
> 
> While I could sympathise with Lawrence I hadn't "felt" the strain
> myself. What set me over the edge interestingly enough wasn't the
> Backgrounds since in metal L&F backgrounds are also white, but the edges
> becoming so bright. Now _everything_ is bright. because of this border
> effect I'm curious to know whether being able to turn down the BG's
> will help or just cause othe rproblems ... I remembere reading an article
> on the early IBM PC monitor where they were proud of how the monitor
> graded from dark sreen to lighter plastic shell to lightest outer plastic
> shell to provide visual transition from supposedly brighter surroundings to
> the darker inner screen.
> 
> I know of   computer guy who is albino. The lack of pigmentation
> extends into the eye so their eye, instead of being optically black
> like cameras and telescopes is white. This is one way their
> vision gets affected. Dimming things helps.
> 
> I raised this on nbui a while a go with the mind to verify my "theory"
> that this whitening happens because of the shift to laptops
> and more work being done in high-ambient-light environments.
> In general if your surroundings are brighter your iris contracts and
> then the ultra-bright IDE shouldn't cause as much eye-strain. 
> 
> But I'd still rather have controls on the IDE than to have to come out
> of my "cave".