Indeed, they are complementary. The basic 16 colors can be configured globally by the terminal which is convenient. 256 colors has to be supported by the partic

Indeed, they are complementary. The basic 16 colors can be configured globally by the terminal which is convenient. 256 colors has to be supported by the particular application but I mostly care about the vim scheme anyway. I have a scheme which uses multiple shades of gray so as not be as distracting as the typical syntax highlighting `salad.'