LeetCode but You Can Force People to Code in Light Mode >:)
36 comments
·February 20, 2025jellyfishbeaver
kleiba
We're in the same boat, my eyes actually start hurting when I look at a light-on-dark screen for more than a couple of seconds.
I'm just really glad that my web browser has a reader mode, or else there would be quite a few web sites (blogs etc.) that I could not read.
dijit
I get horrified looks from my dev team when they look at my screen, but I typically use light mode for work, and I find it easier to read by a long shot.
For dev work at home, I use darkmode, but I usually work in a less well-lit environment and for less time.
ImPleadThe5th
Exactly. Light mode for coding in the sun. Dark mode for late night hacking.
tsumnia
WIIIIIIIITCH!
Just kidding ;D
I'm actually studying my students' color theme preferences for lecture slides and I'm seeing that while a majority do prefer dark mode, there is noticeable chunk that still prefer light mode. I think some of it may involve time of viewing, but that is another research question I haven't explored quite yet.
mmoskal
I think universally light when using a projector! But maybe nowadays it's remote or big LCDs...
ramon156
I actually went back from dark to light! Feels pretty good
foepys
Same here. I work in an office with lots of daylight and dark mode makes it actually very hard to see.
Also, light theme allows for more distinguishable colors.
jisnsm
I suffer from astigmatism and dark themes fatigue me a lot.
dudus
I just wanted to mention another cool alternative
The author has a YouTube channel where he actually solves a lot of the problems step by step. Really cool as a learning resource
koakuma-chan
He was actually going through a depression and drug addiction, and then he started making YouTube videos where he solved leetcode problems and eventually he got a job at Google and then he quit that job.
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weebao
Basically recreated LeetCode on a $5/month VPS lol. It started as a class project but over 800 people joined so I kept refining it for 2 months. It supports running Python, Java, and C++ code (building a code runner is tough). Give it a try and let me know what you think!
The code is also open-source too at https://github.com/beatcode-official
FabHK
In case it's your own project, I believe the convention is to prefix the title with "Show HN:".
conradkay
Neetcode uses/used judge0 for code execution but it might be overkill
net01
have a look at this "https://github.com/INGInious/containers" - open-source platform for secure and automated code assessment
TrackerFF
I "grew up" coding in bog-standard light mode decades ago, and I guess it just stayed with me? Still do it that way.
EDIT: If you're gonna be devious, just force people to code with blue font over black background.
ukFxqnLa2sBSBf6
It’s a fun idea but the ability gimmick makes me not interested. I imagine it will also quickly be overrun by AI copy/pasters.
pavlov
In my universe, the only permitted background colors for programming editors are NeXT white, SGI pastel yellow, and Turbo Pascal blue.
user9999999999
"Runtime analysis? How is that possible?" I thought...
https://github.com/beatcode-official/server/blob/42169027dda...
bean-weevil
Lmao. They need to call that out so the users know not to believe it
Aurornis
Clarifying that it’s the output of an LLM is responsible.
Though LLMs are really good at anything related to plain LeetCode problems. There has been so much written about the standard LeetCode problems across so many websites that it’s all heavily represented in training sets.
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nialv7
just tried to play a round, the answer checker failed because it compares the results with `result == eval(expected)`, where `expected` is `"true"`, which is not a thing in Python.
eGQjxkKF6fif
This seems like a fun thing, could it be used for a hackathon type style of event with say group participants up to ~100? I'd love to see some hackathons.
jtreminio
> but You Can Force People to Code in Light Mode
As I've aged my preferences have moved away from dark themes to light themes.
I used to have everything in dark mode: terminal, IDE, sublime text, use Dark Reader Chrome extension.
But I can't see shit anymore. I need light!
jorvi
It might mitigate some of your issues by using themes that are anthracite / charcoal / deep gray instead of pure OLED black. Due to the way screen technology and bad eyes work you often get slight halo-ing or double vision with white text on pure blacks.
Also definitely stay away from Solarized. The contrasts on Solarized get muddled really quickly if you run your screen at low backlight intensity and especially if you use a night light blue filter / orange overlay.
Hope it helps!
mattgreenrocks
Dark editor themes has always been one of the most laughable of orthodoxies in tech. Contrast is key for reducing eye strain, especially for extended sessions. And Solarized doesn’t have nearly enough.
(I suspect a decent chunk of Solarized’s popularity came from the fact it was popular, rather than the “science”-based facade it marketed itself as.)
moron4hire
Oh man, I always thought it was some kind of joke theme or something like holiday themes that people only put on for a lark. I didn't realize people actually used it as a daily driver theme. How is that even possible? Even in my 20s I thought it was terrible.
babyent
Solarized Light 4 Life lol
Dark mode always strained my eyes like crazy. White bg is too much. Solarized Light works best for me.
skirmish
Just changing the white background into pale yellowish and leaving black text as it is for better contrast works much better to me.
null
I must be in the extreme minority, I always prefer light themes.