Improving site readability

[VetLegion]

I think have tried out most forum styles and I am not quite happy with any of them. The problem is the color combinations look very good, but are not optimal from readability point. Especialy to non-native english speakers who read slowly.

As people who read a lot of text on computers (don't we all?) already know, white/light backgrounds and black/dark text put more strain on the eye then the other way around. Especially true for low refresh monitors! I have a 100Hz monitor, but it is still there.
Of existing styles, civ3 and SMAC are best for reading text.

I have found that the combination that suits myself best is orange text / black background.

Creating a special style just for me is not necessary. In Opera 7, I can switch any page to 'user mode', which applies my own CSS (file with fonts/colors definitions) to the page with a click on a button. And that is what I do when I surf from home.

I have been experimenting, and this is the file Opera.css I have come up with:

a {text-decoration:underline;}
a:link { color: rgb(51,153,255); }
a:visited { color: rgb(51,102,204); }

body {
color: FABD05;
background: black;
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 8pt;
}

p {
color: FABD05;
font-size: 10pt;
}

.bf {color: green;
font-size: 10pt;
}

a.nf {color: red;
font-size: 10pt;
}

.sf {color: white;
font-size: 10pt;
}

I dont really know anything about CSS, so I have a few questions for the admin who designed the pages:

1) how can I change the quote background color I get with defaulf forum style? That grey is really a killer

2) could I get explanations what are .nf, .bf. and .sf and how to use them properly? altering one messes up the rest

more important is 1)

[Zopperoni]

1) Don't know (yet);
2) big font, normal font, and small font? In the regular source, they appear to be classes of different font sizes.

[Static Universe]

1) how can I change the quote background color I get with defaulf forum style? That grey is really a killer

I would say this couldn't be done, as the style attribute is set directly in the table which contains the quote (i.e. the grey box), and not into a defined CSS. (Code below).

table align=center width=80% style="background-color:#e2e2e2; border-style:dotted-width: 1px 1px 1px 1px; border-color:#000080;"

I'm not sure you can override that just for one specific table and not all of them using a brower-custom CSS.

[VetLegion]

Hmm. Static, I think you are correct.

[Static Universe]

I don't think it would be very difficult to switch the quote code from static* to dynamic, so perhaps you could petition the Powers-That-Be to make this change, in the interest of aiding those with eye problems.



*Meaning fixed and not me.

[Urban Ranger]

Re: Improving site readability

Originally posted by VetLegion
As people who read a lot of text on computers (don't we all?) already know, white/light backgrounds and black/dark text put more strain on the eye then the other way around.

I am pretty sure dark text on light background causes less eye strain.

[VetLegion]

This could very well be on paper.

However, monitors hmm.. flicker? Blink may be better word. If you lower the refresh rate do 60Hz, you will most likely (some people don't) notice the blinking if the background is white/light. Depending on your eye you can see the blinking on 85Hz too, or more. Most people do not notice it emediately on 100Hz, but after a time you can feel it as eye strain.

[Adagio]

I have a 60Hz monitor and I'm using the blue-style, and I have no problems reading the text... well unless it's getting late of course