Re: [PATCH] log: support 256 colors with --graph=256colors

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Dec 22, 2016, 19:06 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqtw9vg4vh.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <CACsJy8CnS1=_vA5xhbZ94Qyh7ySC5FvaALu1vhQwt_YJya4wHA@mail.gmail.com>

Duy Nguyen <pclouds@gmail.com> writes:

> .... But I think I could approach it a different way:
> collect colors that have names. That reduces the number of colors so
> we can go back to "step 1 at a time" and still don't run into two
> similar colors often.

I suspect that there is a "cultural" bias that makes the idea unworkable. I haven't found a definitive source, but I think there are a lot more hues and shades of red that have names than hues and shades of blue, for example.

If I were doing this, I'd just prepare a table with 32 color slots or so [*1*], start at a random spot (say 017:00005f) of

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xterm_256color_chart.svg,

and pick spots by jumping southeast like a chess knight (i.e. 017->030->043->086->...) until the table is filled, wrapping around at the edge of that color chart as necessary.

[Footnote]

*1* ...because I do not think the thin graph lines painted in too many colours on the screen would be easily distinguishable from each other anyway.