Dark mode is nothing new. If you’re old enough to remember Teletext and Ceefax, you’ll recall cyan or yellow text on a black background as you squinted at the TV to read the weather forecast. Computers screens originally used what we now call dark mode, because of the capacities of the cathode-ray tubes used several decades ago. But in a bid to encourage people who weren’t programmers to use computers, interfaces were gradually adapted to resemble paper – i.e. black text on white paper. The science behind dark mode is still a little shady, with lots of conflicting views and evidence as to its benefits. Some experts say it’s easier and healthier to read text against a dark background as it reduces eye strain, while other studies arrive at the opposite conclusion.