Solarizedis color palette that’s been designed primarily for terminal and text editor applications, and its goal is to make these applications easier on the eyes so you can code more comfortably for longer.
You can download packages that will install Solarized color schemes inVim,Mutt, Xresources, iTerm2, and the OS X Terminal, and the palettes can be downloaded forPhotoshop, the Apple Color Picker and theGIMPPalette.
All of the information required to port the scheme to your preferred editor is available in the palettes and on the site if yours is missing from the list. (First person to port this toTextMatewill get candy.)
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Solarized doesn’t just claim to be easy to read based on the designer’s personal preferences, though.Ethan Schoonover, the designer responsible for the project, clearly explains the rationale behind the decisions he made on the project site. The most prominently visible is the use of selective contrast:
White-on-black themes, popular among developers who want to reduce eye strain, are an improvement over black-on-white themes, but the contrast is still far too great.
I doubt there are many, if any, terminal color schemes that have received the amount of thought and attention that Schoonover’s Solarized has. If you spend much time coding, you’ll definitely want to take a look.
Story byJoel Falconer
Joel Falconer is the Features Editor at TNW. He lives on the Gold Coast, Australia with his wife and three kids and can sometimes be found g(show all)Joel Falconeris the Features Editor at TNW. He lives on the Gold Coast, Australia with his wife and three kids and can sometimes be foundgamingorconsulting. Follow Joel onTwitter.
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