Paul
Thu Jul 15 15:32:13 CDT 2004
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No, I can't rally explain it, Bill. It's just subjective. Partly it's hard
to get a color light enough to read the grey print over it. So-called black
text is not black like printed text unless you use special fonts (like you
do) or bold, making text look bulkier. So the background has to be really,
really light for me to read clearly over it and tolerate it. This here is
about the maximum, actually maybe over the maximum, and I had to really
fiddle with it. It's less than a milimetre off-centre in the Color picker,
and lightest possible grayscale. Anything stronger than this I find a)
objectively, hard to read and b) subjectively, lurid and off-putting. I
guess I like colors - especially stronger colors - only for highlights.
I have often defended people who like HTML when they manage to make their
formatting what I find to be tasteful. Formatting - use of bold, italics,
sparing use of color as identifier or for emphasis, and structured white
space - can not only be pleasing but also help meaning get across. I just
don't find that background color helps meaning in the slightest, and most
backgrounds I do not find tasteful. I think that's because - unlike white
space which offsets the text in front - colored space is a distraction from
the text in front, and runs the danger of obscuring.
Overwhelming all these considerations, however, is that fact that 90% of
messages I have ever received with background color have been those default
options easily available by a single click, almost all 10 times too bright
for me. Lurid (as I've said a few times). Even "Parchment" is about 10 times
stronger than what I'm using here, let alone Seafoam or Purple or Yellow...
It's just an unpleasant distraction most of the time. IMO.
--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP Entourage
Entourage FAQ Page: <
http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <
http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>
Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
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From: Bill Weylock <bill@nospam.net>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office.entourage
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 05:13:38 -0700
Subject: Re: change default background color
Paul -
I know you don't like background colors, but can you take a minute and
explain why?
I think it must be something more than aesthetics?
Best,
- Bill
On 7/15/04 3:30 AM, in article BD1BAABA.6C085%berkowit@spoof_silcom.com,
"Paul Berkowitz" <berkowit@spoof_silcom.com> wrote:
> On 7/14/04 11:24 PM, in article 2a8501c46a34$5d375ed0$3501280a@phx.gbl,
> "Mark" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>> Is there a way to change my new email default background color from white
>> to something else
>
> In HTML, yes. (Nobody much will want to receive these, though, but that's
> your business.) Click the "abab" button in the lower message toolbar,
> Format/HTML menu item. Then click and hold the button second from right edge
> in the same toolbar to get lurid background colors, or any that take your
> fancy.
--B_3172743134_46966822
Content-type: text/html;
charset="US-ASCII"
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Re: change default background color</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR=3D"#FFFBF1">
<FONT FACE=3D"Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE=3D'font-size:12.0px'>No, I=
can't rally explain it, Bill. It's just subjective. Partly it's hard to get=
a color light enough to read the grey print over it. So-called black text i=
s not black like printed text unless you use special fonts (like you do) or =
bold, making text look bulkier. So the background has to be really, really l=
ight for me to read clearly over it and tolerate it. This here is about the =
maximum, actually maybe over the maximum, and I had to really fiddle with it=
. It's less than a milimetre off-centre in the Color picker, and lightest po=
ssible grayscale. Anything stronger than this I find a) objectively, hard to=
read and b) subjectively, lurid and off-putting. I guess I like colors - es=
pecially stronger colors - only for highlights.<BR>
<BR>
I have often defended people who like HTML when they manage to make their f=
ormatting what I find to be tasteful. Formatting - use of bold, italics, spa=
ring use of color as identifier or for emphasis, and structured white space =
- can not only be pleasing but also help meaning get across. I just do=
n't find that background color helps meaning in the slightest, and most back=
grounds I do not find tasteful. I think that's because - unlike white space =
which offsets the text in front - colored space is a distraction <I>from</I>=
the text in front, and runs the danger of obscuring.<BR>
<BR>
Overwhelming all these considerations, however, is that fact that 90% of me=
ssages I have ever received with background color have been those default op=
tions easily available by a single click, almost all 10 times too bright for=
me. Lurid (as I've said a few times). Even "Parchment" is about 1=
0 times stronger than what I'm using here, let alone Seafoam or Purple or Ye=
llow... It's just an unpleasant distraction most of the time. IMO.<BR>
<BR>
-- <BR>
Paul Berkowitz<BR>
MVP Entourage<BR>
Entourage FAQ Page: <a href=3D"
http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html">=
<
http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html></a><BR>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <a href=3D"
http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/=
"><
http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/></a> <BR>
<BR>
Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will=
be ignored.<BR>
<BR>
PLEASE always state which version of Entourage you are using - **2004**, X =
or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions otherwise.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<HR ALIGN=3DCENTER SIZE=3D"3" WIDTH=3D"95%"><B>From: </B>Bill Weylock <bill@no=
spam.net><BR>
<B>Newsgroups: </B>microsoft.public.mac.office.entourage<BR>
<B>Date: </B>Thu, 15 Jul 2004 05:13:38 -0700<BR>
<B>Subject: </B>Re: change default background color<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE=3D'font-size:12.0px'><FONT COLOR=3D"#000080"><FONT FA=
CE=3D"Futura, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Paul -<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
I know you don't like background colors, but can you take a minute and expl=
ain why?<BR>
<BR>
I think it must be something more than aesthetics?<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Best,<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
- Bill<BR>
</FONT></FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Futura, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><BR>
<BR>
On 7/15/04 3:30 AM, in article BD1BAABA.6C085%berkowit@spoof_silcom.com, &q=
uot;Paul Berkowitz" <berkowit@spoof_silcom.com> wrote:<BR>
<BR>
<FONT COLOR=3D"#00560B">> On 7/14/04 11:24 PM, in article 2a8501c46a34$5d3=
75ed0$3501280a@phx.gbl,<BR>
> "Mark" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:<BR=
>
> <BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#808000">>> Is there a way to change my new email=
default background color from white<BR>
>> to something else<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#00560B">> <BR>
> In HTML, yes. (Nobody much will want to receive these, though, but tha=
t's<BR>
> your business.) Click the "abab" button in the lower message=
toolbar,<BR>
> Format/HTML menu item. Then click and hold the button second from righ=
t edge<BR>
> in the same toolbar to get lurid background colors, or any that take y=
our<BR>
> fancy.<BR>
</FONT></FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><BR>
</FONT></SPAN>
</BODY>
</HTML>
--B_3172743134_46966822--