Hacker Theme

Classic terminal aesthetic with green-on-black color scheme

Hacker Theme

The Hacker theme recreates the iconic green terminal aesthetic, bringing a classic retro computing feel to your modern Sway desktop.

Theme Overview

A nostalgic theme featuring bright green (#a6e3a1) text on a dark background (#212121), reminiscent of vintage CRT terminals and classic hacker movies.

Color Scheme

The Hacker theme embraces the timeless green-on-black terminal aesthetic:

Primary Colors

• Background: #212121 - Charcoal gray (terminal black)
• Foreground: #a6e3a1 - Bright matrix green
• Active/Selected: #a6e3a1 - Vibrant green highlight
• Inactive: #45475a - Muted gray

Waybar Colors

• Base: rgb(33, 33, 33) - Dark terminal background
• Mantle: #131313 - Deeper black layer
• Crust: #11111b - Nearly pure black
• Text: #a6e3a1 - Matrix green text
• Mauve: #a6e3a1 - Green accent
• Sky: #89dceb - Cyan for special indicators
• Red: #f38ba8 - Error indicator
• Green: #a6e3a1 - Primary theme color

Terminal Colors (Kitty)

The terminal configuration stays true to the hacker aesthetic:

The Kitty terminal uses bright green foreground text (#a6e3a1) on a dark charcoal background (#212121), creating the authentic terminal experience.

Core Terminal Colors:

• Foreground: #a6e3a1 - Bright green text
• Background: #212121 - Charcoal black
• Cursor: #a6e3a1 with underline style
• Selection: Dark text on light green background (#d8edd6)

ANSI Color Palette:

• Black: #414868
• Red: #f7768e
• Green: #73daca
• Yellow: #e0af68
• Blue: #7aa2f7
• Magenta: #bb9af7
• Cyan: #7dcfff
• White: #c0caf5

Theme Structure

The Hacker theme includes complete configuration files:

Directory Layout

themes/Hacker/
├── sway/
│   └── theme.conf           # Window manager colors and borders
├── waybar/
│   ├── config.jsonc         # Status bar configuration
│   ├── style.css            # Status bar styling
│   └── colors.css           # Color definitions
├── kitty/
│   ├── kitty.conf           # Terminal settings
│   └── colors.ini           # Terminal color palette
├── rofi-style/
│   ├── _core/
│   │   └── palette.rasi     # Rofi color palette
│   ├── theme-switcher.rasi  # Theme switcher menu
│   ├── selector-app.rasi    # Application launcher
│   └── power-menu.rasi      # Power menu styling
└── wallpaper.jpg            # Theme wallpaper

Sway Configuration

The theme configures Sway with hacker-style visuals:

• Border Width: 2px borders for both normal and floating windows
• Gaps: 5px inner gaps, 10px outer gaps
• Window Decorations: Green borders on focused windows, gray on inactive
• Visual Style: Terminal-inspired window decorations

Rofi Configuration

Rofi menus adopt the green terminal aesthetic using JetBrains Mono Nerd Font at 14pt, creating consistent matrix-style menus throughout the system.

Activation

Activate the Hacker theme using the Config-Sway theme switcher:

# Using the theme switcher
Super + Shift + T  # Opens theme selector
# Select "Hacker" from the menu

Or manually via command line:

~/.config/sway/scripts/theme-switcher.sh Hacker

The theme applies immediately to Sway, Waybar, and Rofi. Terminal applications should be restarted to display the full green color scheme.

Customization

Personalize the Hacker theme:

1. Adjust Green Shade: Edit ~/.config/themes/Hacker/sway/theme.conf to modify the $fg and $active variables
2. Waybar Styling: Customize ~/.config/themes/Hacker/waybar/colors.css for status bar appearance
3. Terminal Green: Fine-tune ~/.config/themes/Hacker/kitty/colors.ini for your preferred shade of green
4. Background: Replace ~/.config/themes/Hacker/wallpaper.jpg with cyberpunk or matrix-style imagery

Nostalgia Factor

The Hacker theme pays homage to the golden age of computing, when green phosphor CRT displays were the primary interface to powerful systems.

Visual Characteristics

• Aesthetic: Retro terminal, cyberpunk, matrix-inspired
• Contrast: High contrast green on black
• Best For: Terminal work, coding, cybersecurity tasks
• Mood: Focused, nostalgic, technical
• Eye Strain: Moderate - bright green may cause fatigue in extended use
• Readability: Excellent in low-light environments

Historical Context

The green-on-black color scheme originates from early computer terminals that used monochrome phosphor displays. This theme recreates that aesthetic for modern systems while maintaining excellent readability and a distinctive appearance.