2024 and STILL no dark mode?

[Lew Zealand]

No. It's mental disorders who force bright modes:
• Brighter displays consume more energy than darker ones.'

Yes for OLEDs but not the vast majority of monitors: LCDs. They use an always-on backlight so use the same energy no matter light or dark mode.

• Brighter displays require more ambient lighting than darker ones, meaning you have your lights brighter indoors, meaning you spend more earth's resources.

True, but with a downside: The dimmer your display and environment, the poorer visual acuity you have as your pupils open up proportionally larger in darker environments and your eyes have more optical aberrations the farther from the center of your cornea/lens system you go. So more eyestrain.

Hope I could help W1zz to make it work. Unfortunately, I dunno how to code.

Agreed, sucks I failed learning programming on multiple occasions.

 

[Beginner Macro Device]

The dimmer your display and environment, the poorer visual acuity you have as your pupils open up proportionally larger in darker environments and your eyes have more optical aberrations the farther from the center of your cornea/lens system you go. So more eyestrain.

Not always true. I have a condition which makes me see things better in the dark so I feel better with dark mode and lights off. Also makes me really safe whilst walking in the night (however, my neighbourhood is extremely boring lmao, they don't even try arsing me).

 

[Wirko]

Q: What's this?

A: The latest reviewed product on black background.

 

[LabRat 891]

Q: What's this?

View attachment 347053

A: The latest reviewed product on black background.

My Windows 10 color settings. -and, what Dark Reader makes TPU look like, for me.

 

[Veseleil]

Dark reader slows down my Firefox, has bugs and not so good colour choices.
Btw, I'm not sure which version TPU uses (I guess the older one judging by the year at the bottom), but ver. 2.3 changes a lot of stuff including dark mode:

XF 2.3 - A first look at XenForo 2.3

Well, here we are with our first Have you seen thread for XenForo 2.3. It's been a long time coming, and for various reasons that we will go into later, it has changed quite a bit from what we had originally intended it to be, but it's finally ready to start showing you what's new. tl;dr...

xenforo.com

 

[s3thra]

How do I install this Dark Reader extension on my iPad?

I don't always read TPU on a computer. Surfing the Internet on an iPad is much better at the pool, in bed, coffee shops, airport terminals, even on the couch.

iOS 15 introduced support for browser extensions for Safari. Here is the Dark Reader blog post about it. Installation is via the App Store, there's a link to it in the article.

Btw, I'm not sure which version TPU uses (I guess the older one judging by the year at the bottom), but ver. 2.3 changes a lot of stuff including dark mode:

XF 2.3 - A first look at XenForo 2.3

Well, here we are with our first Have you seen thread for XenForo 2.3. It's been a long time coming, and for various reasons that we will go into later, it has changed quite a bit from what we had originally intended it to be, but it's finally ready to start showing you what's new. tl;dr...

xenforo.com

Rather than creating a theme customisation for an older version of XenForo, if the work has already been done, indeed an eventual upgrade may just solve the problem. It would be interesting to see how it translates to already customised themes. I'm not sure how much TPU deviates from XenForo standard templates.

 

[Double-Click]

Edge (mobile) has a built in dark mode setting.
Not sure why they haven't rolled that out to desktop yet - it works great on my phone, hardly ever an issue.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Q: What's this?

View attachment 347053

A: The latest reviewed product on black background.

Opera GX's dark mode handles that a bit better, but it's focused on being readable, so many pictures look color-negative because it applies treatment to most jpegs and png's as well. No clue how it actually works but, well, I've been using this browser and Firefox intermittently and I gotta admit I love GX

 

[W1zzard]

but ver. 2.3 changes a lot of stuff including dark mode:

2.3 is currently in early beta: https://xenforo.com/community/forums/announcements/

Good input though, I guess we'll wait until 2.3 comes out before messing around with custom stuff that gets superseded by native dark mode

 

[cvaldes]

I will say I've been blasted by the flood of white on my Apple devices.

It turns out that the Firefox browser for iOS/iPadOS has a built-in Night Mode. I played with it this weekend on both an old backup iPhone and my iPad mini (6th generation) and found it to work better on some sites than others.

However the Night Mode toggle is really easy to find so if you don't like it, you can always switch back to normal.

I did not try the Safari browser extension mentioned by s3thra as I am hesitant to install any browser extensions on my iDevices; I'm concerned about slower performance and excessive battery usage. I could try it some day on my backup iPhone since I don't rely on that device on a daily basis.

Anyhow, reading TPU on an iDevice on Firefox with Night Mode enabled offers a useful option for me. It's still not as good as a native dark mode provided by the web developer like Guru3D has. But it's better than nothing.

 

[Princess Garnet]

Yes for OLEDs but not the vast majority of monitors: LCDs. They use an always-on backlight so use the same energy no matter light or dark mode.

I believe they actually do use more power displaying darker colors. The idea that they consume more power displaying brighter images is from the days or CRTs where it was true. It's also true for OLED (I think?) but it's not for LCD.

The backlight is always consuming a consistent amount of power, yes (unless it has dimming features), but as far as I learned, the pixels need more voltage applied to block the light from getting through. So displaying a darker environment on an LCD is actually consuming power to create light and then consuming more power to partially block it. As I write that out, I can't help but notice it seems... inefficient in a way, haha.

Of course, people should be free to use darker environments if they so choose. Choice is good, and nobody can help how LCDs work.

I'm not confused by the preference for dark modes but I am always confused by the claims that a lack of it "burns the eyes"? People got along without dark mod for decades. I almost always use brighter modes (50% brightness or even 67% if my environment is bright on a sunny day) and my eyes never hurt?

The only thing I miss is that before dark mode was a thing, websites used to have a lot more color with attractive visuals, and sometimes they were darker too! The modern trend of "bright mode and dark mode" seems replace all of that with flat designs with awkward spacing and organization (don't get me started on lack of tables/containers/something to prevent things from just looking cluttered and thrown everywhere and harder to navigate and fine stuff in). It's either all completely White or all completely Black.

 

[cvaldes]

I'm not confused by the preference for dark modes but I am always confused by the claims that a lack of it "burns the eyes"? People got along without dark mod for decades. I almost always use brighter modes (50% brightness or even 67% if my environment is bright on a sunny day) and my eyes never hurt?

Go to bed, turn off the lights, and lay down.

Then pick up your phone and visit a website. Then enable Night Mode/Dark Mode and view again. It should be pretty obvious what Dark Mode does.

People got along without Dark Mode for decades because today's smartphones are really only ~15 years old. But even back in the day, some people used little mini reading lights for books in dark bedrooms. Some people stayed in their living room while their partners went to bed.

If it really didn't make a difference, why would programmers, oh, at Guru3D, bother writing the code for Dark Mode?

Not everyone here reads TPU on a computer monitor display during the daytime under normal lighting conditions.

 

[Princess Garnet]

What dark mode does is, as you said yourself, obvious, so I'm not sure what need there is to state it.

I'm not opposed to darker themes being there for choice, nor is the appeal of it lost on me, so I'm not sure what need there is to justify it either.

I'm just a bit surprised at how common the issue of "my eyes are burning without it" seems to be. Nothing more.

 

[cvaldes]

I'm just a bit surprised at how common the issue of "my eyes are burning without it" seems to be. Nothing more.

I'm pretty sure it's hyperbole.

Some people do that and not just about dark mode. And not just about their computers or tech devices either.

I'm not surprised to read comments like that at all when I'm online. But I've probably been online too many decades...

 

[Athlonite]

If your using a chromium based browser you can set dark mode via the (browser name)://flags

Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents​

Automatically render all web contents using a dark theme. – Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, Fuchsia, Lacros



#enable-force-dark

there are several options to choose from so you can find one that suits your personal preference

 

[Vayra86]

OMG. So basically here I'm reading a dark mode is coming

My life is nearing completion

 

[Athlonite]

OMG. So basically here I'm reading a dark mode is coming

My life is nearing completion

See comment above it's already here

 

[Vayra86]

See comment above it's already here

Yeah but no, native pls

I'm pretty sure it's hyperbole.

Some people do that and not just about dark mode. And not just about their computers or tech devices either.

I'm not surprised to read comments like that at all when I'm online. But I've probably been online too many decades...

Well I do think in terms of white content, the world has changed a bit. Screens go bigger, go brighter, and we watch more hours on them. There is just in general a lot more screen in front of your face. Eyes go tired. White content is tiring. Result: dark mode desires. Also, consider that most screens aren't shitty, backlight bleeding, bad uniformity TN/weak IPS anymore. We like to look at blacks now, on our VA's and OLEDs.

Also, there is this

Even on half a screen, look at the information density and THE WHITE. Mother of god. So much waste of space, so much white you're looking at. It really doesn't make a lot of sense. Even Steam gets it, look. It is pleasant to look at. The forum is not. There's in general barely any elements to cling your eyes to, just a sea of white and light tint.

 

[cvaldes]

For sure staring at a 65" OLED television set in 2024 is different than a 19" CRT television in 1994.

It's worth pointing out that different writing systems benefit a little differently from dark mode in the same way that they benefitted differently from Retina Display/HiDPI.

This site is English language using standard characters. But people using logographic writing systems (Chinese, Japanese, etc.) will likely feel a little differently about using Dark Mode.

One thing I've noticed for years on larger computer monitors is that it's better for me not to run a web browser in full screen mode. That's too much white. So I keep web browser windows about 75% of my 27" monitor's screen real estate (the desktop background is dark). That helps eye strain considerably since it's less bright light pounding my cornea.

This is not an issue on small handheld screens like phones.

But for sure it is hella noticeable at night in a dark environment. I'm glad I found the Firefox (iOS/iPadOS) option for my iDevices.

 

[Fokker]

If your using a chromium based browser you can set dark mode via the (browser name)://flags

Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents​

Automatically render all web contents using a dark theme. – Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, Fuchsia, Lacros



#enable-force-dark

there are several options to choose from so you can find one that suits your personal preference

Works in mobile too.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Problem is that I don't have any time to work on this ..

Honestly, you don't need to. Dark Reader and other similar browser extensions have now become very well refined and easy to use. There are a few browsers that have built-in dark-mode now. The complaints of the OP are reasonable, but can be easily solved on their own.

 

[Princess Garnet]

The "sea of blank space" thing seems to be because displays got wide, and then sometimes wider again, and meanwhile the internet started catering to mobile devices this last decade, which are taller instead. Most websites seemed to have gone to narrow and fixed widths as opposed to the fluid ones we used to sometimes have.

Also, flatter designs with less color, less graphics, more simple logos, etc., adds to that sea of one color look that is so prevalent today, and I partly blame Windows 8/10 for that.

Light or dark, I miss when things looked prettier. Darker themes aren't new, but now, everything is a flat sea of fewer colors either way with a ton of wasted space.

I do often prefer darker themes for websites that deal a lot with images though. Darker backgrounds seem to make them look better for some reason. But normally I prefer lighter looks.

One thing I've noticed for years on larger computer monitors is that it's better for me not to run a web browser in full screen mode. That's too much white. So I keep web browser windows about 75% of my 27" monitor's screen real estate (the desktop background is dark). That helps eye strain considerably since it's less bright light pounding my cornea.

You know, small examples like this are good points. We tend to base a lot on our own experiences and that can have downfalls. I've not been running my browser at full size for over a decade now, since I went to widescreen. Sometimes my desktop and background is brighter, but not always, so that will reduce the bright space showing.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Holy crap thank whatever God it is you pray to for Dark Reader, actually makes TPU usable.

Sincerely,
A Weak Pervert

 

[Athlonite]

Holy crap thank whatever God it is you pray to for Dark Reader, actually makes TPU usable.

Sincerely,
A Weak Pervert

Depends on what browser you use almost all chromium based browsers have no need of a third party browser extension to do something that's already available via the browser itself either in the setting menu or via the //flags settings page

 

[OkieDan]

Problem is that I don't have any time to work on this .. any volunteers that know how HTML/CSS/colors work and are willing to help?

Maybe I could create a new forum theme template for dark mode and update it iteratively based on community feedback

I will do it, not exactly sure about how you'll implement it, I assume a cookie and a little js to read/set cookie and a toggle in html for users that lurk without an account, and an account setting instead of cookie for others?

Before Rark Reader I've written custom CSS and used Greasemonkey to apply that CSS and make DOM changes for websites I frequented and didn't like the look or layout of.