What is the attraction of anaglyphs?

The anaglyph mode works. Seems like the standard software offers it as one selection,nay? If I had to choose, I would easily go for the individual pairs. Since for me I need no glasses and the color purity of the delicate shades is easier to discern. I state the obvious in following narrative if interested:

Each person owns a pair of eyes separated by about 67mm. and must be presented with each angle view in some way where the other eye view is obscured..so fusion in the brain is enabled...OK we agree so far.

From the earliest days of print stereo cards in late 1800s, a pair of angled lenses ( one lens sliced into segments actually vis Holmes models) was the standard method. Repeat the standard method for all stereo cards....Now, later on in 50s see the book' Stereo Realist Manual.' It came with a simple plastic eye viewer with the two prismatic lenses. And hundreds of side by side images spaced real close obviously. ( And earlier work by a chap named Judge also had images side by side but no more than a couple inches to avoid eye divergences, actually a physical impossibility! )

We have a strong case I think that a large body of folks, Dave, do not want a viewing aid for side by side. How many we will never really know..

But - now here is the interesting part - they will fancy a pair of red and cyan or red and blue spectacles. And maybe reading glasses behind them. If a prism viewer is unsuitable, and cross viewing is not in the cards and sbs is not learned I ask then: Why is wearing a colored pair of lenses over a reading glass a better choice...Hmm, beats me Dave. aloha GS

PS I am speculating that the eye pain comes from enlarging the staircase so that it is larger and trying to diverge the optical axes of eyeballs which come in 67-70 mm standard sizes..:-) Martin .Am I close to being on target?