Black or Sepia Background to Program, Why This Choice?

Black or Sepia Background to Program

Every programmer has his hobbies. And these range from preferring to use tabs or spaces in their codes to having the IDE elements placed in a certain way, creating their own keyboard shortcuts and even choosing the theme they want to use in the programming environment. But if we are attentive, surely there is one thing that catches our attention, and that is that almost no one programs with a white background, but most developers use black, dark or sepia-colored backgrounds. Why?

Unless we use Notepad to code (something no one in their right mind would do), most IDEs and programming environments that we typically use allow us to customize their appearance through the use of themes. In this way, any user will be able to adjust the style of the program to their tastes or needs. However, is it really better to program one way or another? Are they just hobbies, or is there some other explanation for preferring one or the other setting? let’s see it.

White background to program, is it really bad?

IDE programación fondo blanco

Most veteran programmers surely remember what it was like to go from the era of MS-DOS (black background with white letters) to the era of Windows (white background with black letters). For many, this was a big change that helped them to be able to program more comfortably, relaxing their eyes. More experienced programmers claim that code is read much better on white backgrounds with black letters than the other way around. For this reason, some programming environments have this theme enabled by default, letting the users themselves change it, if they want.

We are all used nowadays to use dark elements on white backgrounds. Although more and more programs and websites are enabling their dark themes, for years we have been using Google, Word, Windows, and most websites and programs in this way. And the sight is not spoiled or harmful to health, as long as we make the recommended breaks for the use of screens.

What can influence eye strain is having the screen brightness too high. An overly bright screen can be annoying after a while. And, for this, we have two options: either lower the brightness of the monitor, or try a different background than white.

Why use a black or sepia background

IDE programación fondo negro

There are many reasons for this choice. The first of these is that dark funds are much less annoying and tiring than light funds, which translates into greater concentration in the short, medium and long term. If, in addition, we combine it with an adjusted screen brightness, much better.

If we use syntax highlighting , then it is true that dark and sepia backgrounds look much better. The letters of the highlight are usually much brighter, so the functions of the comments, the values and the rest of the code content can be much better differentiated, in addition to being more elegant. Again, it is a personal preference.

How to program without tiring your eyes

In the end, the color of the theme does not influence as much as other aspects when it comes to feeling comfortable to program. Although it is true that the dark background can be less tiring in the long run, it is actually more a matter of personal taste than of utility or health.

If we feel tired after spending a while in front of the computer, we should still consider other changes in the way we work. For example, we can try to increase the size of the font so that it is read better, or to lower the brightness of the screen so as not to strain our eyes so much. It is also important to take breaks and breaks, and to look at distant objects from time to time.

It is also useful to consider using a light theme during the day (since there is more natural light) and switch to a dark theme when we go to program at night.