alt Hacker NewsBlack text on white background with no backlight is easier to read. Think black text on paper.
When it comes to computer screens, usually set too bright to accommodate varying ambient lightning conditions throughout the day/year, it's not as simple, and I am not sure there is a study to confirm it.
And even if so, any individual's case might be different.
While you are right about the many misconfigured monitors, the right solution is to set an appropriate brightness and contrast, not to invert the text.
Too bright ambient lighting is better handled with monitor shields, not by increasing the display brightness, especially when the screen is glossy.