“Tomato” versus “#FF6347”—the tragicomic history of CSS color names
Summary
Ars Technica traces the history of CSS color names from early X Window System colors through X11 enhancements to modern CSS, highlighting the whimsical and sometimes controversial names. The piece covers naming controversies, standardization efforts, cultural implications, and the eventual shift toward numeric color specifications for precision, with quotes from industry figures and a look at why named colors persist.