Hank Bond reflects on Nikita Prokopov's critique of syntax highlighting and experiments with his own code themes. After years using VSCode Dark Theme, he realized he had become blind to its colors. Prokopov argues that if you cannot recall your theme's color for class names, it is not functional. Bond attempted to create a light theme but found it either too dull or too intense. He questioned whether color is necessary and tried a grayscale approach. Without color, code became flat and unreadable, forcing linear reading. He concluded that some contrast is essential for quick navigation. His final experiment uses grayscale highlighting to balance readability and visual structure without relying on vibrant colors.

The article explores the purpose of syntax highlighting: selective attention and quick location. Bond finds that while color helps, overuse can overwhelm. His grayscale example aims to provide minimal contrast for readability while avoiding visual clutter. The post ends mid-example, suggesting further exploration of tone-based highlighting.