6 ms·

I'd comment on this article on web design if I wasn't straining my eyes on that terrible website. Glass houses = unreliable source.

canthonytucci 13y ago
I had to use safari reader to get through it. This guy needs to take some of his own advice.
technifreak 13y ago
This. Complaining about how hard it is to read someone else's website when you use an awful green text on black background is reason enough for me to not take you seriously. It's a Wordpress site, for god's sake, and that is the template you came up with (or chose)? Glass houses, indeed.
- bradleyjg 13y ago
  It's a design intended to recall the look of the author's original webpage, which has been on the internet since before the word blog was coined. The man was a pivotal figure in writing the first modern web browser, it wouldn't kill you to show some goddamn respect.
  - ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
    If Jamie's post had been about literally almost anything else web related, I would concur.
- bmj 13y ago
  There is a difference, I think, between "I find green on black to be hard on my eyes" and "I can't read the content because it is obscured by ads and popovers."
joosters 13y ago
What? Sure, green-on-black may not be your colours of choice, but that's a matter of taste, not of usability. It's not like a grey-on-grey low contrast choice.
- untog 13y ago
  I'm not so sure. I consider the colours used on a site to be a factor in how usable it is. I found his site difficult to read, how is that not a usability factor?
- shmerl 13y ago
  Green on black can use different type of green, rather than poisonous lime green on black. Nostalgic emulation of historic monochrome monitors can be fun, but not for reading text for a long time.
mauricioc 13y ago
I like the brevity of your last sentence. May I suggest saying "tu quoque" instead? It's even shorter.
- ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
  Today I learned, thanks!
omonra 13y ago
Exactly my thought. I am sure the author is an intelligent guy who knows his stuff - but I just can't be bothered to read for more than a few paragraphs something that looks so G-d-damn awful. It really is a pain to look at.
- jasonlotito 13y ago
  > I am sure the author is an intelligent guy who knows his stuff jwz is a programmer. If you don't know the initials jwz, you should do some research. On a side note, his site doesn't take away from he facts he presented.
  - abbazabba 13y ago
    That guy invented one of the most revolutionary ways of looking at things on the internet. With a green and black blog without any css3, what right does he have to comment on design?!
  - omonra 13y ago
    That's precisely the point - his site is so beyond ugly, that it detracts from his message. He's not talking about programming here - but discussing presentation of visual information. His utter disregard for his readers makes me question his competence in this question. It's like we had a genius color-blind guy critique a Rothko painting.
    - jasonlotito 13y ago
      > his site is so beyond ugly, that it detracts from his message. No, not really. It's fairly easy to read. And while it might not be a super design by some standards, it doesn't bother anyone unless you want to be bothered by it. Contrast that with the site he's reviewing, where you physically can't read the content because the site explicitly prevents you from reading it. > It's like we had a genius color-blind guy critique a …website. That's something you should do.
cjensen 13y ago
Green on black is ugly. It is not unreadable. Compare this to the "professionals" at YouTube, for example, who actually think medium gray is readable over light gray. In any case, "I don't like these colors" is not a complaint comparable to "I literally can't read your article without being sent to an app store." As to why the design is that way, it's a visual reference to how old CRT terminals once looked.
- mhb 13y ago
  Yah great. And maybe the annoying popup ads are an homage to Peter Max. The irony of reading this rant in green text on a black background is still inescapable.
dkl 13y ago
I completely agree. I find the color scheme very difficult to read. I used to read his blog, but stopped when I realized the green on black was giving me a headache.
jasonlotito 13y ago
What does the article have to do with design? It deals with usability and UX. On the off-chance that you disagree, why do you think only designers can test the UX of a site?
bcoates 13y ago
Ugly personal site != nonfunctional commercial site.
Ziomislaw 13y ago
maybe jwz's site is designed this way to keep "looking for ways to be offended" people away?

canthonytucci 13y ago

I had to use safari reader to get through it. This guy needs to take some of his own advice.

technifreak 13y ago

This. Complaining about how hard it is to read someone else's website when you use an awful green text on black background is reason enough for me to not take you seriously. It's a Wordpress site, for god's sake, and that is the template you came up with (or chose)? Glass houses, indeed.

bradleyjg 13y ago
It's a design intended to recall the look of the author's original webpage, which has been on the internet since before the word blog was coined. The man was a pivotal figure in writing the first modern web browser, it wouldn't kill you to show some goddamn respect.
- ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
  If Jamie's post had been about literally almost anything else web related, I would concur.
bmj 13y ago
There is a difference, I think, between "I find green on black to be hard on my eyes" and "I can't read the content because it is obscured by ads and popovers."

joosters 13y ago

What? Sure, green-on-black may not be your colours of choice, but that's a matter of taste, not of usability. It's not like a grey-on-grey low contrast choice.

untog 13y ago
I'm not so sure. I consider the colours used on a site to be a factor in how usable it is. I found his site difficult to read, how is that not a usability factor?
shmerl 13y ago
Green on black can use different type of green, rather than poisonous lime green on black. Nostalgic emulation of historic monochrome monitors can be fun, but not for reading text for a long time.

mauricioc 13y ago

I like the brevity of your last sentence. May I suggest saying "tu quoque" instead? It's even shorter.

ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
Today I learned, thanks!

omonra 13y ago

Exactly my thought. I am sure the author is an intelligent guy who knows his stuff - but I just can't be bothered to read for more than a few paragraphs something that looks so G-d-damn awful. It really is a pain to look at.

jasonlotito 13y ago
> I am sure the author is an intelligent guy who knows his stuff jwz is a programmer. If you don't know the initials jwz, you should do some research. On a side note, his site doesn't take away from he facts he presented.
- abbazabba 13y ago
  That guy invented one of the most revolutionary ways of looking at things on the internet. With a green and black blog without any css3, what right does he have to comment on design?!
- omonra 13y ago
  That's precisely the point - his site is so beyond ugly, that it detracts from his message. He's not talking about programming here - but discussing presentation of visual information. His utter disregard for his readers makes me question his competence in this question. It's like we had a genius color-blind guy critique a Rothko painting.
  - jasonlotito 13y ago
    > his site is so beyond ugly, that it detracts from his message. No, not really. It's fairly easy to read. And while it might not be a super design by some standards, it doesn't bother anyone unless you want to be bothered by it. Contrast that with the site he's reviewing, where you physically can't read the content because the site explicitly prevents you from reading it. > It's like we had a genius color-blind guy critique a …website. That's something you should do.

cjensen 13y ago

Green on black is ugly. It is not unreadable. Compare this to the "professionals" at YouTube, for example, who actually think medium gray is readable over light gray. In any case, "I don't like these colors" is not a complaint comparable to "I literally can't read your article without being sent to an app store." As to why the design is that way, it's a visual reference to how old CRT terminals once looked.

mhb 13y ago
Yah great. And maybe the annoying popup ads are an homage to Peter Max. The irony of reading this rant in green text on a black background is still inescapable.

dkl 13y ago

I completely agree. I find the color scheme very difficult to read. I used to read his blog, but stopped when I realized the green on black was giving me a headache.

jasonlotito 13y ago

What does the article have to do with design? It deals with usability and UX. On the off-chance that you disagree, why do you think only designers can test the UX of a site?

bcoates 13y ago

Ugly personal site != nonfunctional commercial site.

Ziomislaw 13y ago

maybe jwz's site is designed this way to keep "looking for ways to be offended" people away?