Developer of Solarized here. Glad that it continues to be a popular design. I've let the github languish and regret that. Luckily since it's just a color scheme the website and info on github has been enough for it to continue to propagate.
There have been plenty of other color schemes that I think it's safe to say have been inspired by Solarized and this is very satisfying to see. Many of them have done a better job at thinking through the git structure of their projects :)
Thanks so much for Solarized. Really changed the way I think about syntax highlighting and UI! Have you run common color/font configurations from Solarized through WCAG’s contrast checking tools? As I create more and more UIs I’ve become increasingly aware of contrast for accessibility and I was wondering what your thoughts were in this regard.
I didn't run Solarized through WCAG when designing it (I don't believe that was around when I was designing it, though I could be wrong) but I did design it to enable high contrast use (this is mentioned on the site but sometimes overlooked in implementations). The highest contrast base tones as background / foreground colors (base03+base3) do pass with a 13.91:1 ratio. In "low contrast" mode, Solarized passes all but WCAG AAA with a value of 4.74:1.
As my eyes age I often use Solarized in higher contrast configuration, so I'm sensitive to this issue.
Two things I want to add (better as a comment than edit):
1) I don't use Solarized everywhere religiously. I use it a LOT, no surprise. Still my preferred color scheme in most editing, terminal, code situations. But I am happy to use other well designed colorschemes in various contexts (writing, task management apps, etc.). Even when Solarized is available, sometimes variety is what's called for.
2) Solarized was designed to enable the colors to be used in high contrast modes as well. As my eyes age I sometimes will apply the colorscheme in a higher contrast mode. This adaptability is sometimes overlooked but it is inherent and intentional to the design.
> Many of them have done a better job at thinking through the git structure of their projects :)
Perhaps so. I've attempted to find some other color scheme. The most significant color scheme change I was able to stomach during the last ten years was from Solarized Dark to Solarized Light. Thank you <3
There have been plenty of other color schemes that I think it's safe to say have been inspired by Solarized and this is very satisfying to see. Many of them have done a better job at thinking through the git structure of their projects :)