diff -u -r -d xwpe-1.5.21a/WeXterm.c xwpe-1.5.21.shaded/WeXterm.c
--- xwpe-1.5.21a/WeXterm.c	Fri Nov 19 04:06:05 1999
+++ xwpe-1.5.21.shaded/WeXterm.c	Wed Nov 24 17:00:41 1999
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@
  "Red3",
  "Violet Red",
  "Brown",
- "Light Gray",
- "Dark Slate Grey",
+ "SlateGrey",
+ "DarkSlateGrey",
  "Blue",
  "Green",
  "Turquoise1",
@@ -60,6 +60,26 @@
  "White"
 };
 
+/* Standard background colors (after initialization pointers may not be valid) */
+static char *WpeXColorNamesBg[16] = {
+ "Black",
+ "RoyalBlue4",
+ "DarkOliveGreen",
+ "PaleTurquoise4",
+ "IndianRed4",
+ "MediumVioletRed",
+ "SaddleBrown",
+ "LightGrey", /* try Grey90 -gud */
+ "Grey20",
+ "Blue",
+ "Green",
+ "Turquoise1",
+ "Red2",
+ "Violet",
+ "Gold",
+ "WhiteSmoke"
+};
+
 #define OPTION_TABLE_SIZE 7
 
 /* Translation table for command line option to X resources */
@@ -139,17 +159,17 @@
  XColor exact_def;
  Visual *visual;
  int loop, depth;
- char color_name[8];
- char color_class[8];
+ char color_name[8];  char bgcolor_name[10];
+ char color_class[8]; char bgcolor_class[10];
  Screen *xscreen;
 
- memset(color_name, 0, 8);
- memset(color_class, 0, 8);
- strcpy(color_name, "color");
- strcpy(color_class, "Color");
+ memset(color_name, 0, 8); 	memset(bgcolor_name, 0, sizeof(bgcolor_name));
+ memset(color_class, 0, 8); 	memset(bgcolor_class, 0, sizeof(bgcolor_class));
+ strcpy(color_name, "color"); 	strcpy(bgcolor_name, "bgcolor");
+ strcpy(color_class, "Color"); 	strcpy(bgcolor_class, "BgColor");
  for (loop = 0; loop < 16; loop++)
- {
-  /* color names start at 1 not 0 */
+ {                          /* color names start at 1 not 0 */
+ /*fgcolor:*/
   color_name[5] = color_class[5] = (loop < 9)? loop + '1': '1';
   if (loop > 8)
   {
@@ -160,7 +180,20 @@
   if (XrmQGetResource(xresdb, name_list, class_list, &return_value, &xval))
   {
    WpeXColorNames[loop] = (char *)xval.addr;
+   WpeXColorNamesBg[loop] = (char *)xval.addr; 
+  }
+ /*bgcolor:*/
+  bgcolor_name[7] = bgcolor_class[7] = (loop < 9)? loop + '1': '1';
+  if (loop > 8)
+  {
+   bgcolor_name[8] = bgcolor_class[8] = loop - 9 + '0';
   }
+  name_list[1] = XrmStringToQuark(bgcolor_name);
+  class_list[1] = XrmStringToQuark(bgcolor_class);
+  if (XrmQGetResource(xresdb, name_list, class_list, &return_value, &xval))
+  {
+   WpeXColorNamesBg[loop] = (char *)xval.addr;
+  } 
  }
 
  cmap = DefaultColormap(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.screen);
@@ -192,20 +225,44 @@
  }
  for(loop = 0; loop < 16; loop++)
  {
+ /*fgcolor:*/
   if (!XParseColor(WpeXInfo.display, cmap, WpeXColorNames[loop], &exact_def))
   {
-   /* Should try a default color then bail if need be */
-   fprintf(stderr, "xwpe: unable to find color \"%s\", exiting ...\n",
-           WpeXColorNames[loop]);
-   exit(1);
+   fprintf(stderr, "xwpe: unable to find color \"%s\", using %s\n",
+        	WpeXColorNames[loop], loop ? "WhitePixel" : "BlackPixel");
+   WpeXInfo.colors[loop] = loop ? WhitePixel (WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.screen) 
+                          	: BlackPixel (WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.screen);
+  }else
+  if (!XAllocColor(WpeXInfo.display, cmap, &exact_def))
+  {
+   /* use colors as is useful for a black&white screen */
+   fprintf(stderr, "Xwpe: all colorcells allocated, cannot get \"%s\", using %s\n",
+      WpeXColorNames[loop], loop ? "WhitePixel" : "BlackPixel");
+   WpeXInfo.colors[loop] = loop ? WhitePixel (WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.screen) 
+                          	: BlackPixel (WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.screen);
+  }else{
+   WpeXInfo.colors[loop] = exact_def.pixel;
   }
+  
+ /*bgcolor:*/
+  if (!XParseColor(WpeXInfo.display, cmap, WpeXColorNamesBg[loop], &exact_def))
+  {
+   /* Should try a default color then bail if need be */
+   fprintf(stderr, "xwpe: unable to find bgcolor \"%s\","
+                   " using already allocated fgcolor (\"%s\")\n",
+                   WpeXColorNamesBg[loop], WpeXColorNames[loop]);
+   WpeXInfo.bgcolors[loop] = WpeXInfo.colors[loop];
+  }else
   if (!XAllocColor(WpeXInfo.display, cmap, &exact_def))
   {
-   /* Should try to find closest color */
-   fprintf(stderr, "Xwpe: all colorcells allocated, exiting ...\n");
-   exit(1);
+   /* use colors as is useful for a black&white screen */
+   fprintf(stderr, "Xwpe: all colorcells allocated, cannot get \"%s\","
+                   " using already allocated fgcolor (\"%s\")\n",
+                   WpeXColorNamesBg[loop], WpeXColorNames[loop]);
+   WpeXInfo.bgcolors[loop] = WpeXInfo.colors[loop];
+  }else{
+   WpeXInfo.bgcolors[loop] = exact_def.pixel;
   }
-  WpeXInfo.colors[loop] = exact_def.pixel;
  }
  return ;
 }
diff -u -r -d xwpe-1.5.21a/WeXterm.h xwpe-1.5.21.shaded/WeXterm.h
--- xwpe-1.5.21a/WeXterm.h	Fri Nov 19 04:06:05 1999
+++ xwpe-1.5.21.shaded/WeXterm.h	Wed Nov 24 15:25:42 1999
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
  int font_height, font_width;
  int altmask;
  int colors[16];
+ int bgcolors[16];
  WpeMouseShape shape_list[2];
 } WpeXStruct;
 
diff -u -r -d xwpe-1.5.21a/we_xterm.c xwpe-1.5.21.shaded/we_xterm.c
--- xwpe-1.5.21a/we_xterm.c	Fri Nov 19 04:06:05 1999
+++ xwpe-1.5.21.shaded/we_xterm.c	Wed Nov 24 15:34:50 1999
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@
   XSetForeground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc,
     WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x + 1] % 16]);
   XSetBackground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc,
-    WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x + 1] / 16]);
+    WpeXInfo.bgcolors[schirm[x + 1] / 16]);
   XDrawImageString(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.window, WpeXInfo.gc,
     WpeXInfo.font_width*old_cursor_x,
     WpeXInfo.font_height*(old_cursor_y+1) - WpeXInfo.font->max_bounds.descent,
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@
  XSetForeground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc,
    WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x + 1] / 16]);
  XSetBackground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc,
-   WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x + 1] % 16]);
+   WpeXInfo.bgcolors[schirm[x + 1] % 16]);
  XDrawImageString(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.window, WpeXInfo.gc,
    WpeXInfo.font_width * cur_x,
    WpeXInfo.font_height * (cur_y + 1) - WpeXInfo.font->max_bounds.descent,
@@ -361,12 +361,12 @@
       {
 #ifdef NOXCACHE
 	 XSetForeground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc, WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x+1] % 16]);
-	 XSetBackground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc, WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x+1] / 16]);
+	 XSetBackground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc, WpeXInfo.bgcolors[schirm[x+1] / 16]);
 	 XDrawImageString(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.window, WpeXInfo.gc, WpeXInfo.font_width*j,
     		WpeXInfo.font_height*(i+1) - WpeXInfo.font->max_bounds.descent,
 							schirm + x, 1);
 #else
-	 if (   oldback != WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x+1] / 16]  	/* a.r. */
+	 if (   oldback != WpeXInfo.bgcolors[schirm[x+1] / 16]  /* a.r. */
 	     || oldfore != WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x+1] % 16]
 	     || i != oldI
 	     || j > oldJ+1	/* is there a more elegant solution? */
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@
 	   {
 	        XDrawImageString(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.window, WpeXInfo.gc,
 		    		 oldX, oldY, stringbuf, stringcount);
-	        oldback = WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x+1] / 16];
+	        oldback = WpeXInfo.bgcolors[schirm[x+1] / 16];
 	        oldfore = WpeXInfo.colors[schirm[x+1] % 16];
 	 	XSetForeground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc, oldfore );
 	 	XSetBackground(WpeXInfo.display, WpeXInfo.gc, oldback );