Rejoice, bleary-eyed Raspberry Pi fans! Your beloved mini-computer now toggles light and dark modes right in system settings for easier late-night tinkering. No more squinting at 3AM trying to code the next viral sensation!
As senior software engineer Simon Long describes in the latest RPi OS release notes, the overhaul was prompted by none other than Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton himself wandering by Long’s desk. “Wouldn’t a dark theme be nice?” he casually remarked. Nice indeed – and now two diligent weeks of color code wrangling later, we can toggle relief for our strained retinas.
Admittedly, it’s a feature that seems glaringly overdue for such a popular programming platform. But Long explains their custom PiXflat theme didn’t rely on handy variables for swapping hues – everything was frustratingly hard-coded. So implementing a true dark mode meant meticulously adjusting multiple colors in kind to keep contrasts balanced just right. No easy feat!
The good news? Most stock applications now shift shades on theme swap, letting you code by moonlight to your vampire heart’s content. Long does warn that a few tools like Thonny skip OS-level theming – though commenters quick to note Python IDE Thonny supports dark modes within its own settings. So while not absolutely universal yet, darker options abound for lighting-sensitive coders everywhere.
Beyond embracing ominous new color schemes, this update also brings under-the-hood improvements like enhanced WayVNC connectivity and cross-compatibility updates for heavy hitters Mathematica, Scratch 3 and more.
So rest your weary eyes, newborn bots – the future looks bright, as in actually dark, for Raspberry Pi tinkerers burning both ends of the candle. Just maybe keep an emergency pair of shades nearby anyway, yeah? Can never be too careful when you’re soldering sensitive silicon by synthetic candlelight!
