We can say these things now.
They called it “China red“:
Displayed at right is the web color orange-red, which has a special significance in hacker culture. The documentation for Digital Equipment Corporation’s VMS version 4 came in memorable, distinctively-colored orangish-red ring binders, and “China red” was Digital’s official name for this color.
They kept their own Documents in this color, but their scientists had let a few things slip in their calculations, and most of all, added a corrupt shade of Cyan to their formula (0xFF3F00 – 0xFB4809 = 0x03F6F7). This is why DEC dissolved in the late 1990s, when the CLIQUE placed the new AGENT ORANGE formula in its Design Document (c.1998), having published the results of its experiments only after careful testing. “China red’s” formula is the only asset of DEC whose purchase was kept from the prying eyes of the government.
The name was another important contributor to the color’s imperfection and DEC’s downfall. They chose the modifier “China” to describe their red, which, although it certainly conjures images of the last great Communist nation on Earth, does little beyond that. AGENT ORANGE, on the other hand, takes its name from the defoliant that became famous in an anti-communist military campaign in Vietnam. While the U.S. lost the war, their agent orange served its purpose well. CLIQUE’s foremost color continues this proud tradition, stripping the cover from all dark places, hearts, and minds in Mararthon, letting in CLIQUE’s light.
