[9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[tlaronde]

Hello,

Even if the plan 9 graphical interface doesn't look like the other ones,
as a matter of fact it happens that I'm far less eyes-tired by the plan
9 one than with others---indeed, if I like more the console on Unix like
system it's because glyphes are bigger and the black background less
aggressive to my taste.

I know that the human eye "sees" (or the human brains interprets) more
green shades than red or blue. So if plan 9 feels more comfortable (for
me at least) this is probably linked to this color choice. (It's curious
to see that the themes proposed by other systems almost never propose a
green based one: too "natural", so not sufficiently "artefact", human
made, "professional"?)

I seem to recall reading a paper by Rob Pike about discussions, I think
with Ren�e French, about this visual aspect. But I don't manage to find
back which one it was, and if there are other ones about this ergonomy.

Has somebody hints?

TIA
--
Thierry Laronde (Alceste) <tlaronde +AT+ polynum +dot+ com>
                 http://www.kergis.com/
Key fingerprint = 0FF7 E906 FBAF FE95 FD89  250D 52B1 AE95 6006 F40C

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[Jason Catena]

Rob explains the fonts and colors (inspired by Tufte, no less) a bit
in this reposted message, and mentions Renee French.

http://www.mail-archive.com/9fans@cse.psu.edu/msg13035.html

Jason Catena

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[Jack Johnson]

On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 10:01 AM, Jason Catena<jason.catena@gmail.com> wrote:
> Rob explains the fonts and colors (inspired by Tufte, no less) a bit
> in this reposted message, and mentions Renee French.

I wonder if Renee would be interested to know this particular color
palette is an ongoing point of discussion?

-Jack

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[Ethan Grammatikidis]

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:31:18 -0800
Jack Johnson <knapjack@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 10:01 AM, Jason Catena<jason.catena@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Rob explains the fonts and colors (inspired by Tufte, no less) a bit
> > in this reposted message, and mentions Renee French.
>
> I wonder if Renee would be interested to know this particular color
> palette is an ongoing point of discussion?

I wonder too! The reasoning sounded sensible, but unfortunately I find I can't stand looking at green on the computer screen for long, and living in south-east England I wonder what all that about nature and pale colours was all about. :) The only pale colours on the South Downs are the haze-blued hills of the North Downs in the far distance, and the sky when it's overcast. The middle and foreground are occupied by very strong greens, except for some fields near harvest time which are likely to be other strong colours.

Curiously I like looking at those green hills much better than anything green on my computer screen, even pictures of the same. I can't account for that. I made the active window border in rio a faded lavender while the background is a very very faded lavender. The 2 colours are somewhat reminiscant of the haze-obscured distant hills, but the window border is more reminiscent of one particular crop which flowers blue.

I never got as far as patching the menus and scrollbars to match. They don't quite go but I don't mind, they're not on the screen for long.


--
Ethan Grammatikidis

Those who are slower at parsing information must
necessarily be faster at problem-solving.

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[Paul Donnelly]

eekee57@fastmail.fm (Ethan Grammatikidis) writes:

> The only pale colours on the South Downs are the haze-blued hills of
> the North Downs in the far distance, and the sky when it's
> overcast. The middle and foreground are occupied by very strong
> greens, except for some fields near harvest time which are likely to
> be other strong colours.
>
> Curiously I like looking at those green hills much better than
> anything green on my computer screen, even pictures of the same. I
> can't account for that.

Likely because your monitor can't produce the right shades of
green. There's the trick where you stare at a red spot on your monitor
for a while then look at a gray area, and you'll see an afterimage in a
shade of teal your monitor can't match. I suppose staring at a magenta
spot would do much the same thing for green.

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[Ethan Grammatikidis]

On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:14:33 GMT
Paul Donnelly <paul-donnelly@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> eekee57@fastmail.fm (Ethan Grammatikidis) writes:
>
> > The only pale colours on the South Downs are the haze-blued hills of
> > the North Downs in the far distance, and the sky when it's
> > overcast. The middle and foreground are occupied by very strong
> > greens, except for some fields near harvest time which are likely to
> > be other strong colours.
> >
> > Curiously I like looking at those green hills much better than
> > anything green on my computer screen, even pictures of the same. I
> > can't account for that.
>
> Likely because your monitor can't produce the right shades of
> green. There's the trick where you stare at a red spot on your monitor
> for a while then look at a gray area, and you'll see an afterimage in a
> shade of teal your monitor can't match. I suppose staring at a magenta
> spot would do much the same thing for green.
>

Ah quite possibly. You've reminded me of certain flowers which produce a visual effect which cannot easily be duplicated onscreen or in photographs. Also a colour space diagram showing the range a monitor can produce as a triangle and the range of colours the human eye can see, the latter covering at least twice the area of the former.

--
Ethan Grammatikidis

Those who are slower at parsing information must
necessarily be faster at problem-solving.

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[Steve Simon]

> ...a colour space diagram showing the range a monitor...

More info than you wanted here:
http://www.poynton.com/Poynton-color.html

-Steve

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[Ethan Grammatikidis]

On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:44:23 +0100
"Steve Simon" <steve@quintile.net> wrote:

> > ...a colour space diagram showing the range a monitor...
>
> More info than you wanted here:
> http://www.poynton.com/Poynton-color.html

Cheers!


--
Ethan Grammatikidis

Those who are slower at parsing information must
necessarily be faster at problem-solving.

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[Martin Neubauer]

> I seem to recall reading a paper by Rob Pike about discussions, I think
> with Ren�e French, about this visual aspect. But I don't manage to find
> back which one it was, and if there are other ones about this ergonomy.
> 
> Has somebody hints?
Maybe you mean this?
http://9fans.net/archive/2003/09/442

Re: [9fans] plan 9 interface color ergonomy

[tlaronde]

Thanks for the pointer(s)!

The extra information, compared to what I previously read, is Edward
Tufte.

I do think Plan 9 colors choices are right.

In french, "travail" (work) is derived from a word meaning pain,
torture. That's perhaps why a "professional" computer interface is one
that gives you pain, since it must be work...
--
Thierry Laronde (Alceste) <tlaronde +AT+ polynum +dot+ com>
                 http://www.kergis.com/
Key fingerprint = 0FF7 E906 FBAF FE95 FD89  250D 52B1 AE95 6006 F40C