I, personally, find it very hard to read the error messages produced by the software in the bottom window.
The only way I can make it readable for me is by selecting it with the mouse which then changes it from a dark orange on black to a much more visible white on blue.
Is there a config option hidden somewhere to change this colour ? - I'd be happy with white on black like the rest of the messages.
TIA
In the file menu there is the option preferences and you can open the preferences .txt file and search for "color".
From my file
Line 57: preproc.color_datatype=true
Line 64: preproc.web_colors=true
Line 71: run.present.bgcolor=#666666
Line 74: run.present.stop.color=#cccccc
Line 75: run.window.bgcolor=#D4D0C8
maybe one of these will do what you want.
important to note is that you must change this preferences.txt file after you closed all instances of the IDE otherwise the file gets overwritten again.
ANother option is to tweak the Theme:
for my 1.04 version it is C:\Program Files (x86)\arduino-1.0.4\lib\theme
do not forget to backup these files before editing 
Many thanks, I'll give it a try 
I used the theme method in the end - worked a treat
Can you please post which fields / file you changed in detail as a tip for future reference?
thank you?
Not sure how to do "tips" on this forum ... but I changed line 23 in
"C:\Program Files\Arduino\lib\theme\theme.txt" from
"console.error.color = #E34C00" to "console.error.color = #FFFFFF" (White)
Others may prefer other colours, but this works for me
sorry, I used the dutch word tip in my post, what I meant was advice 
Thank is for sharing the details.