Re: best way to get a //c monitor cable?

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

Simon Williams replied:

>Michael J. Mahon <mjmahon@aol.com> wrote:
>
>> >Now that brings a question to mind... is it possible to change the text
>> >colour by changing a ROM or something? I suppose it would only work with
>> >non-Apple monitors, though...
>> 
>> No.
>> 
>> Text mode is a monochrome (no burst) mode, and the RGB
>> cards that do the trick sense this and remap "black" and
>> "white" to user-chosen colors on an RGB monitor.
>> 
>> There is no corresponding trick on a composite monitor
>> that would work for text (lots of isolated pixels).
>
>Too bad... I find the b/w text on a colour monitor a bit dismal, it
>would be nice to have the proper shade of toxic waste green ;-)

That can be done on some monitors with a switch, and on others
by adjusting the "background" color (not the hue).  All that is needed
is to disable one or more of the color video amplifiers (say, disable
R and B to get green).

>BTW, what other colours of monochrome monitors were generally available
>back when? I have only come across an amber one (which is very nice,
>though not an Apple product), but I can't help thinking that the
>omnipresent green ones wouldn't have been all that popular if "nicer"
>colours had been available... what's the story behind the green screen
>-- was it cheaper to produce, or looked more futuristic, or what?

Amber was widely regarded as superior to other colors, because it
has very high visual contrast with very low visual fatigue.

Green was the most common monochrome color for two reasons:

1) It is the brightest (most quantum-efficient) phosphor, and was
   widely used in CRTs long before computers--think oscilloscopes.
   The human eye's sensitivity also peaks in the green region.

2) Because of its pervasive use, green phosphor CRTs are usually
   a little less expensive and more available than other formulations.

-michael

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