Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

  > > So I am proposing to simplify this whole thing by removing the reason
  > > for font-lock-comment-delimiter to exist: use a readable yellow
  > > foreground on 8 color dark background terminals.
  > 
  > I don't have strong opinions about faces, and don't have time to try
  > them out to make sure they work OK, but if we can find a setting that
  > allows us to get rid of font-lock-comment-delimiter, I'd be in favor
  > of it.

This is the first step to accomplish that (use yellow for the problem
case and just make font-lock-comment-delimiter be identical to
font-lock-comment-face):

--- font-lock.el.~1.351.~       2009-08-02 10:53:38.000000000 -0700
+++ font-lock.el                2009-08-03 15:48:35.000000000 -0700
@@ -1853,19 +1853,13 @@ Sets various variables using `font-lock-
     (((class color) (min-colors 8) (background light))
      (:foreground "red"))
     (((class color) (min-colors 8) (background dark))
-     )
+     (:foreground "yellow"))
     (t (:weight bold :slant italic)))
   "Font Lock mode face used to highlight comments."
   :group 'font-lock-faces)
 
 (defface font-lock-comment-delimiter-face
-  '((default :inherit font-lock-comment-face)
-    (((class grayscale)))
-    (((class color) (min-colors 16)))
-    (((class color) (min-colors 8) (background light))
-     :foreground "red")
-    (((class color) (min-colors 8) (background dark))
-     :foreground "red1"))
+  '((default :inherit font-lock-comment-face))
   "Font Lock mode face used to highlight comment delimiters."
   :group 'font-lock-faces)


Here's how it looks on a black background terminal: