Hey guys. I'm running Linux SuSE 10.1 OS, and I'm kinda a newbie to the whole linux thing. I'm learning fast as I go but there are still somethings that I can't seem to figure out. Anyways, back to what I am having a problem on.

I'm messing with the color schemes on my desktop and such, and I want the backgrounds of everything to be black, cuz the white hurts my eyes too much, but when I change the backgrounds of things to black and the text and buttons and such to a lighter color (ex. white), it won't show the text of it unless I put my mouse cursor over it. Basically I can't read push buttons, drop boxes or anything like that, but all my texts are white, but I still can't see them. Can someone please help, I'd like to be able to read my buttons and such again. Any help or input would be much appreciated.

Hi Leveecius,
I'm guessing you're using KDE right? If so, there's always a way back..you could go to the main KDE menu select Control Center > Appearance & Themes > Theme Manager. In Theme Manager you could select one of the themes and go back to a starting state, or go to the "Colors" button and try to reset the widget colors to something that doesn't give you the effect described. Or have I missed something?

No You're right, I'm using KDE. I can go back to the theme defaults and everything, but it's too bright at times. I'm just trying to darken it up a little without having to adjust my monitor all the time. But the fonts on my toolbars, push buttons, drop boxes and everything else, won't change colors, they just stay black, and I can't figure out why.

ok, I figured out most of the problems, now the last color issue I'm having is the most annoying one. I can change the color of everything but the color of the font on my toolbars in MFF. so I can't read any of the text like File, Edit, View, Help, ect... It's really annoying, is there anyway to change

KDE has a--large--selection of configurable options. But if I understand you correctly, you might try "Control Center">"Theme Manager">"Colors">"Widget Colors" In "Widget Colors" there's a drop down box with a number of entries for text items. Select the text item you want, then click on the color bar beneath the drop-down box and you should be able to adjust the color of the text.

I don't particularly use KDE, so letitgo probably has your solution for lightening the colours of the menu texts.

I have a different idea, tho. I too have "bright white screen" problems a lot of times. On a bad day, I'll get migranes from it. I know from my years of experience that black backgrounds are not always the way to go. They can cause problems when your eyes adjust to the deep black and then medium or bright white pops up. Of course, YMMV. My personal upper limit to a bright black (to solve that problem) is about 20% gray. Anything between black and 20% gray is more-or-less relaxing on my eyes. And, if I can't change the window text colours, 20% gray will allow me to see the default black text in the windows.

As a side note, I don't always use gray, either. I took a class (many years ago) on "how colours affect you in the office." Based on the theory that everybody is a little different AND that colours actually affect you and your mood, there is a colour that is the most relaxing colour for your eyes to see. For me, that colour is a certain shade of blue-green, at a certain brightness. If my screen has that colour, I can stare at it all day. And, the bonus is that the default black text is ALWAYS readable.

Oops--Leveecius, I just re-read your last post. Is MMF a KDE application? If not, there's a box in "Colors" that applies your selections to non-KDE apps...if it is a KDE app, in the widget list, doesn't "active title text" and "inactive title text" work? Like you and Vonst I also need my screen toned down a bit. I found shades of grey best for me..for my screen background I used the standard "Wonton Soup" and altered the tones in gimp until for me it was that "certain shade" Vonst mentioned.