Calibre 2.0 and system colors

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Edit: just using Calibre as an example to show how screwed up Microsoft is.

Everything else (Linux, Apple) is also screwed up in one way or another, believe me...

[JSWolf]

I've been looking and the only way to change the colors in Windows 8.1 is via the registry. Windows 7 is easier to change colors.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've been looking and the only way to change the colors in Windows 8.1 is via the registry. Windows 7 is easier to change colors.

Yes. I've spent a lot of hours searching around for this.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Yes. I've spent a lot of hours searching around for this.

I've done some searching and I've not found anyone who has written something to do this via a GUI.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Another problem with choosing a high contrast theme is that you then can't use IE because a lot of things on a lot of websites are not visible when using system colors. In Win 7 when using high contrast you can't turn off system colors in IE. I have accessibility in IE set to use system colors, but at least I can turn them off when webpages are missing buttons or icons or other text and see what's missing. I remember going to a Microsoft 'help' website about accessibility and I couldn't even leave a comment without turning off system colors because buttons were missing.

Thanks for suggestions though.

In Win 8.x in the Ease of Access Centre under "Make the computer easier to see" there is the check box option to enable keystrokes (Left ALT + left SHIFT + PRINT SCREEN) for turning High Contrast on and off during a session.

As said already, I have no recollection whether the same option exists in Win 7, or whether its function is the same, without setting up a machine to play with.

[Katsunami]

It's not a good idea to just stick with Windows 7 forever. In 2020, support will be dropped, after the operating system becomes 10 years old. This is assuming that support is not going to be extended like it was with Windows XP.

At that time, Windows 10, maybe even 11 will already be out.

Now, however, we have Windows 8.1, which works fine after installing Classic Shell and trashing Metro, even though I still hate the flat GUI. I've been looking into WindowsBlinds, by Stardock. It can change anything in Windows, and today, it just costs $9.99. It's been around for 15 years, and was adapted for each new Windows version.

I would seriously consider looking into this software; make a system restore point, and install the trial. At WinCustomize.com you can find lots of themes. If it's anything like KDE-Look.org or other Linux-related theming sites, half of the themes will be various various shades of black, or at least quite dark...

You can even make your Windows look like a Mac if you're inclined to do so.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

...Now, however, we have Windows 8.1, which works fine after installing Classic Shell and trashing Metro...

If one is going to install Shells and trash the modern start pages to make it look like a previous version of Windows then one might as well stay with Win 7 until 2020 (or whenever support stops). Not much point upgrading in my view.

I am not suggesting with that that people not upgrade, just saying that if they want to upgrade but turn it back to be like the old version that they had before there is not much point upgrading (and if one buys a new machine with Win 8 on it, there are ways to get older copies of Windows for it).

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

In Win 8.x in the Ease of Access Centre under "Make the computer easier to see" there is the check box option to enable keystrokes (Left ALT + left SHIFT + PRINT SCREEN) for turning High Contrast on and off during a session.

As said already, I have no recollection whether the same option exists in Win 7, or whether its function is the same, without setting up a machine to play with.

Thanks! I just checked and Win 7 has the same setting. I'll have to test it out to see if it works ok everywhere else, but it does work in IE.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

It's not a good idea to just stick with Windows 7 forever. In 2020, support will be dropped, after the operating system becomes 10 years old. This is assuming that support is not going to be extended like it was with Windows XP.

At that time, Windows 10, maybe even 11 will already be out.

Now, however, we have Windows 8.1, which works fine after installing Classic Shell and trashing Metro, even though I still hate the flat GUI. I've been looking into WindowsBlinds, by Stardock. It can change anything in Windows, and today, it just costs $9.99. It's been around for 15 years, and was adapted for each new Windows version.

I would seriously consider looking into this software; make a system restore point, and install the trial. At WinCustomize.com you can find lots of themes. If it's anything like KDE-Look.org or other Linux-related theming sites, half of the themes will be various various shades of black, or at least quite dark...

You can even make your Windows look like a Mac if you're inclined to do so.

At work they just finally upgraded us to Win 7 this year. We have over 10,000 employees so it's not a small company.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

If one is going to install Shells and trash the modern start pages to make it look like a previous version of Windows then one might as well stay with Win 7 until 2020 (or whenever support stops). Not much point upgrading in my view.

There is a very large point: I work in IT, so I can't be completely ignorant about Windows 8.x, not even if my company does not upgrade until 2020.

Another point is that I plan to get a new computer in 2015, maybe 2016; this one just hit the 6 year mark in July 2014, and although it works very well (due to some upgrades in 2011), it -is- getting a bit long in the tooth.

I'd rather get Windows 9 with support up until 2020, than Windows 7 with support up until 2014. It looks like I'm hanging on to computers longer and longer the older I get; probably because I stopped playing the latest games, and with the ones that I do play, I'm often satisfied with 1280x720 already, because my eye-sight is too bad to read the (often) small fonts at 1920x1080 or higher.

I can easily see my next computer being in use from 2016 up until 2024, with some upgrades in 2020. My current computer will become a backup PC and 'legacy gaming machine' for the nostalgic moments, though I have a feeling that everything will still run on Windows 9; it does on Windows 8.x

I am not suggesting with that that people not upgrade, just saying that if they want to upgrade but turn it back to be like the old version that they had before there is not much point upgrading (and if one buys a new machine with Win 8 on it, there are ways to get older copies of Windows for it).

There are sometimes more reasons to upgrade than the GUI alone. For example, Windows 7 looks almost identical to Windows Vista, but it improved a great deal with regard to speed. Windows 8.x would have been a great operating system, and a good improvement in several areas over Windows 7, if Microsoft had included a proper Start Menu, drop shadows on the windows, and not made Metro the default on desktops; these things should have been options in the very least. Without them, Windows 8.1 is just an ugly, flat, schizophrenic operating system that doesn't know what it wants to be; a computer OS, or a tablet OS. IMHO.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I've been looking into WindowsBlinds, by Stardock.

I would seriously consider looking into this software; make a system restore point, and install the trial.

@Katsunami - Ah, that's the gadget I've been trying to recall

@Purple Lady - I have a friend who has a similar issue with bright white. I'm almost certain WindowsBlinds is what she uses to address the issue, she's used it for years, on XP, win7 and on her new Dell win8 laptop.

She also uses a gadget called f.lux which auto adjusts brightness at sunset and sunrise. I use it too, it's pretty cool, runs on Windows, OSX, IOS. See f.lux - Wikipedia

There's a copycat product for Linux called Redshift, there's a link in the f.lux page.

BR

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

...Windows 8.x would have been a great operating system, and a good improvement in several areas over Windows 7, if Microsoft had included a proper Start Menu, drop shadows on the windows, and not made Metro the default on desktops; these things should have been options in the very least. Without them, Windows 8.1 is just an ugly, flat, schizophrenic operating system that doesn't know what it wants to be; a computer OS, or a tablet OS. IMHO.

I have added the necessary emphasis to the quote snipped from your post as what you say is not fact.

In fact many sophisticated users find quite the opposite once they have made the effort to understand the changes and how best to adapt to and apply them.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

I have added the necessary emphasis to the quote snipped from your post as what you say is not fact.

How is it not fact that Katsunami has such an opinion? And why does emphasizing what you agree Katsunami said, make it any more fact than it was already?

I have added the necessary emphasis to the quote snipped from your post as what you say is not fact.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

...@Purple Lady - I have a friend who has a similar issue with bright white...

This is an area I have done a little bit of work in, especially where astigmatism is the issue. Sufferers of astigmatism (and some other eye defects) suffer glare with bright whites (and other brights) in low contrast environments; the common case is when driving at night, a low contrast environment, with streetlights causing them glare.

Modern LCD displays have very, very high contrast ratios (many, many orders of magnitude higher than type and images on paper, for example) and are almost always used in environments whose contrast and light level is low in comparison. So one can easily end up with a bright display in a low contrast environment which is the opposite of what is ideal if an eye defect causes glare.

A simple start in these instances is to just tone way down the display brightness and contrast, and ramp up the environment's lighting. In my observation most people tend towards setting up displays and their environment to be the exact opposite of that, seeking very bright and vivid displays; that not normally a problem for those with no eye defects though.

Am not suggesting that doing so is the cure, just that it is something that may contribute to it.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

How is it not fact that Katsunami has such an opinion?...

You have me perplexed. Who said it was not a fact that the poster had an opinion?