Preferred Monochrome Color?

[MrMaddog]

I like Green because I used VAX terminals at community college I went to for programming courses. The way the text glows on the screen and pixel smooth scrolling was way better than anything I've seen on a home CRT. On my Atari ST I used a desk accessory that changed colors to a green/amber text on black text on white on the fly.

 

I also like the ST's monochrome mode since it reminds me of the old Macs I used in high school...

[BydoEmpire]

Green by a mile for me - lots of Apple 2 usage at home and school. I still use the original tiny green screen with my 2c, it looks great!

[MarkO]

The Apple /// Monitor is a nice Deep Green Screen... ( I did see a Monitor /// that was Red!!! )..

 

On the IBMpc, I had a Paper White that I loved.....

 

 

MarkO

[ClausB]

Had to vote white because my first micro experience was on an ADM-3A hooked to an Altair 8800a in 1976. Also my Atari 400 was on a B&W TV in 1980.

Edited April 1, 2018 by ClausB

[jaybird3rd]

A related question: how many people here used glare filters with their monochrome monitors?

I used two primary monochrome displays, both amber: an Amdek 300A/310A (which I still have), and a Fujitsu monitor that was probably a rebadged Samsung. Both of them had the glare filter mesh applied directly to the CRT. I liked the way it softened the display, and it did its primary job well, but it wasn't so good for dusty environments because it made the screen harder to clean. I liked the removable filters that snapped into the monitor bezel; I saw one designed specifically for IBM monitors. They seem to have fallen out of favor once color displays took over.

[The Usotsuki]

I love the look of ADM-3A and 5 terminals. XD

[Asaki]

Green is the classic look, but I feel like amber is a little easier on the eyes. I can't really decide.

 

Wish I still had one, they're a little expensive to ship these days.

[+RetroElectroDad]

I voted for green, because that was the colour the terminals used when I was learning to program on a mainframe and it feels like it screams retro!.

 

But... for each platform it differs for me. For instance DOS PC - amber, Apple ][ - green, TRS-80 - white.

[potatohead]

If I'm on a color TV, NTSC, I prefer amber, or maybe green. Those displays have artifacts and fringes that can make it hard to see the pixels. Black and white graphics maximize those. And, unless all that is intended, the resulting display is a mess.

 

If I'm on a monochrome monitor, or high bandwidth TV type display, like a PVM, I like just black and white. The monochrome, is sans color. Pixel art and all that tends to come across much better, as does presentation of text on a page, like some better word processors do.

 

Today, I have an amber monochrome display. I really like it, but would prefer it be black and white. But, I like it better than green. I also have a PVM, some Sony model or other, and have to say I should have got one much sooner. Those things are amazing! Plain old composite is way better than one would expect. If it's a better signal, s-video, or component / RGB, the thing is pixel perfect.

[+OLD CS1]

I used my TI-99/4A on a 10 inch black-and-white TV. Looked just fine, though not technically monochrome.

[BassGuitari]

I used my TI-99/4A on a 10 inch black-and-white TV. Looked just fine, though not technically monochrome.

 

It recently occurred to me that I don't think I've ever seen or heard of anyone ever using a monochrome monitor with a TI-99/4a before. So I hooked up my 99/4a to my amber Magnavox Computer Monitor 80, just for shits and giggles.

 

It was weird. It looked good (although there were some Venetian Blind effects going on with the black text against the orange background ), but also kind of wrong in a way. Like one of the defining characteristics of the 99/4a is that signature teal boot screen and menu/BASIC environment, and without it, it feels like a different system somehow.

[jaybird3rd]

I used my TI-99/4A on a 10 inch black-and-white TV. Looked just fine, though not technically monochrome.

My very first computer/monitor pair was a TI 99/4A with a B&W TV set. It wasn't until a few years after I got my 99/4A that I used it with a color TV for the first time. I remember how surprised I was to realize that the default background color had been cyan all along!

[TV4242]

On 3/20/2018 at 12:37 PM, Flojomojo said:

GREEN

 

no, AMBER

 

no no no

 

BLACK

 

Black text on WHITE background. I like the classic Macintosh look.

 

But you didn't make that a choice, so I picked GREEN, my first instinct. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits for not giving me the option I wanted.

i swear i've seen that exact fleas thing somewhere

[zzip]

In general, I'd prefer amber over green, but when I had a job where I had to work on an amber terminal every day, I think I would have chosen any other color

[Flojomojo]

On 10/29/2023 at 1:22 AM, TV4242 said:

i swear i've seen that exact fleas thing somewhere

I'm flattered! Your very first post and you're quoting me from a silly joke I posted 5 years ago. 

 

It's one of those "you don't have to be CRAZY to work here ... but it helps!" kind of dad jokes. 

[Shawn]

Grew up using green, Used orange but found it hurt my eyes. Later on when greyscale VGA came about I found it just a cheaper way to get VGA signal on screen and wasn't a fan cause, color is cool.

[+OLD CS1]

3 hours ago, Shawn said:

Grew up using green, Used orange but found it hurt my eyes. Later on when greyscale VGA came about I found it just a cheaper way to get VGA signal on screen and wasn't a fan cause, color is cool.

Was just reminded in a Commodore thread that I started with an Apple green monochrome for both 40- and 80-columns, which I used for about four years until I got my hands on an 80-column capable color monitor.

[Krebizfan]

I had a green/amber monitor. Press a switch and it flipped color. For some reason, I thought it was easier to read text in green but graphics stood out better in amber. 

[littleman jack]

Green is nicest for me. I remember using green with Atari 800s and Apple IIs at summer camp. Oh, the memories of Choplifter in green!