Modifying a few items in your .emacs file

You may change the color theme used by emacs permanently or just for the current session. For the current session :
M-x color-theme-select -- then choose a color theme. Usually its best to split the emacs window (C-x 2) in 1 window have a java source code file (a program file) and in the other window use the M-x color-theme-select and scroll thru all color choices and view them in the other window.
To change the color theme permanently, create a .emacs file in your home directory, note the name of the file is .emacs (with the dot). This file, .emacs, is your emacs initialization file, that allows you to customize emacs. In your .emacs file put the following Lisp code:
```
  ;; Color theme 
  (require 'color-theme)
  (setq color-theme-is-global t)
  (color-theme-gnome2)
```
Above, where it says "color-theme-gnome2" replace that with the name of the theme you selected.
Here is a link to a .emacs file that has lots of pretty neat customizations, you could copy and paste the contents into your own .emacs file.