webvärit

Webvärit, also known as web-safe colors or browser-safe colors, is a term that refers to a limited palette of 216 colors that were designed to display consistently across different web browsers and operating systems in the early days of the internet. This was important because older computers and monitors often had a limited color depth, typically capable of displaying only 256 distinct colors at once. The 216 web-safe colors were chosen to ensure that the same color would appear virtually identical regardless of the viewer's display settings or browser.

The concept of web-safe colors emerged in the late 1990s when the World Wide Web was gaining popularity, and the limitations of display technology were a significant concern for web designers. By adhering to the web-safe palette, designers could be confident that their website's colors would not be dithered or misinterpreted, leading to a more predictable visual experience for their audience. The palette was created by taking each of the six levels of red, green, and blue (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%) and combining them, resulting in 6 x 6 x 6 = 216 unique combinations.

As computer hardware advanced and color depth increased significantly, the necessity of the web-safe color palette diminished. Modern browsers and displays are capable of rendering millions of colors accurately. Consequently, the concept of web-safe colors is largely obsolete today. While still technically available, web designers rarely restrict themselves to this limited palette, opting instead for the full spectrum of colors to create richer and more nuanced visual designs.