Low-vision X11 configuration

I use one of two approaches, depending on the circumstances:

Low-resolution scrollable desktop
- Works well if you have older software that uses bitmap fonts, or if you have a Mac
- You can set the window you're working in to fit the "viewport", and quickly pan the viewport to see other windows
- May not work so well with desktop environments like GNOME; simple window managers are best
- Can be more trouble to set up, especially on laptops
High-resolution non-scrollable desktop with larger fonts
- Needs newer software that does not use bitmap fonts
- You can work full-screen and use Alt-Tab or other mechanisms to switch windows (can be slightly more fiddly than panning, but not too much if you have tabbed terminals, editors and browsers)
- Works well with modern "desktop environments" and laptops

WINE

If you run Windows programs using WINE, you can change the overall size by adjusting the DPI setting LogPixels in .wine/system.reg (its value is hex). In newer versions you can also use the winecfg program's "Graphics" tab to set DPI.

If you need a dark background in WINE apps you can try appending this dark background registry snippet to .wine/user.reg. If you want anti-aliasing (and don't already have it), try this antialiasing registry snippet also (this sets greyscale anti-aliasing; ClearType is not recommended unless you can calibrate the gamma setting to your monitor).

If you use the "Wineskin Winery" wrapper on a Mac, the .reg files will be located in your application's Contents/Resources directory.

If those colour changes cause unreadable text in printouts, you might need to delete the relevant colour commands from the PostScript, e.g. if you're using a machine behind a firewall that runs CUPS and you have administrator access then go to http://localhost:631 and Add Printer, device LPD/LPR printer, URI socket://localhost:12000, make Generic / Generic PostScript printer; before printing to this printer do

nc -l -p 12000 | grep -v "^1.00 1.00 0.00 setrgbcolor$" | grep -v "^0.89 setgray$" | ps2pdf - output.pdf

(may need adjusting for some CUPS/Wine versions). Alternatively if you don't have root access but have compiled your own WINE, you can temporarily disable accidental printing by moving wineps* out of lib/wine.