I left the same issue on the NsCDE git page, as it seems every CDE theme for *nix, including the "official" original CDE repo on SourceForge, has overlooked HP's directions for proper gamma. HP created all the CDE graphics and color palettes after all.
If you thought the CDE color palettes were too bright and unsaturated you're right, they are (compared to how they're meant to look), because they need a gamma of 1.7 applied to them. I don't mean that your monitor should or window environment should apply a gamma of 1.7, that's incorrect on modern system. But assuming that your monitor is properly calibrated and profiled with the correct sRGB gamma, then the CDE widgets and colors will only look like how they're supposed to if each element first has a tone map of p->p^1.7 applied to each channel. This will replicate how they were meant to look at HP's intended gamma of 1.7.
NsCDE/NsCDE#229
I left the same issue on the NsCDE git page, as it seems every CDE theme for *nix, including the "official" original CDE repo on SourceForge, has overlooked HP's directions for proper gamma. HP created all the CDE graphics and color palettes after all.
If you thought the CDE color palettes were too bright and unsaturated you're right, they are (compared to how they're meant to look), because they need a gamma of 1.7 applied to them. I don't mean that your monitor should or window environment should apply a gamma of 1.7, that's incorrect on modern system. But assuming that your monitor is properly calibrated and profiled with the correct sRGB gamma, then the CDE widgets and colors will only look like how they're supposed to if each element first has a tone map of p->p^1.7 applied to each channel. This will replicate how they were meant to look at HP's intended gamma of 1.7.
NsCDE/NsCDE#229