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0 pointsgeorgemcbay5mo ago0 comments

I think it goes back a lot further than Twitter.

As someone who hung out on IRC way back in the 1990s (and internet-knew Limor from Adafruit back before her handle was Ladyada) I associate this writing style with the culture of a lot of the hacker-related IRC channels I used to hang out in back then.

Some of the same people from that era did in fact turn out to be tech founders and maybe that's how it got carried over into the Twitter-verse, but it predates that.

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6 comments · 1 top-level

quesera5mo ago· 5 in thread

Corroborating. It goes way back to the early 90s IRC and MUD cultures, from which many of us sprung. Limor came to the scene a bit later, but the culture was well-established.

Most of us would code shift when writing in other milieux, some weaned ourselves off the habit when our work started interfacing with nonreceptive readers, and a few retained the affectation to make a statement (or an anti-statement!).

It's amusing to see the style resurface in a new generation though. I guess it's no more odd than when 20 year olds unknowingly emulate the dress and mannerisms from when their parents were young. We just smile and recall the age when we thought we were being different too. :)

georgemcbayOP5mo ago

> Limor came to the scene a bit later

Not much later, I remember her hanging out in #hack in the '92-93 timeframe (first as lem0n then later as ladyada).

She was like the "kid" of the channel regulars (which is an extremely relative designation because there were a lot of teenagers just a couple years older than her).

I also remember her going to one of the 2600 meetings at the CambridgeSide Galleria that I went to with morgen and wil wheaton that must have been either in 1993 or very early 1994 (it was definitely prior to the first HOPE in 94). IIRC Limor was being chaperoned by RogueAgent and theora/Sarah Gordon.

quesera5mo ago

Sounds right. I was only an occasional attendee at the Galleria, but the timeline makes sense.

H.O.P.E. brings back memories though -- I was very uncertain that that Poland Springs jug would contain the explosives taped to the Clipper chip. I remember wishing I was sitting several rows further back for that moment. :)

throwaway815235mo ago

> early 90s IRC and MUD cultures

It goes back before that. There were well known Usenet folks who adhered to the style. The 1970s-and-earlier Arpanet was before my time, but I'm sure it existed then too ;).

quesera5mo ago

You know, I was trying to remember if anyone from Usenet did similarly, but I couldn't think of anyone.

I was a bit post-Great Renaming into well post-Eternal September. And we may have followed different groups.

The style arises spontaneously in isolated individuals and groups of course (at least since e. e. cummings!), but it was pervasive-to-universal on IRC and MUDs.

I do wonder how it trickled into there though. The most boring answer is probably the correct one. it was slightly easier to type and kids are naturally flexible.

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stickfigure5mo ago

You whippersnappers!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._E._Cummings

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6 comments · 1 top-level

quesera5mo ago· 5 in thread

Corroborating. It goes way back to the early 90s IRC and MUD cultures, from which many of us sprung. Limor came to the scene a bit later, but the culture was well-established.

georgemcbayOP5mo ago

> Limor came to the scene a bit later

Not much later, I remember her hanging out in #hack in the '92-93 timeframe (first as lem0n then later as ladyada).

She was like the "kid" of the channel regulars (which is an extremely relative designation because there were a lot of teenagers just a couple years older than her).

quesera5mo ago

Sounds right. I was only an occasional attendee at the Galleria, but the timeline makes sense.

throwaway815235mo ago

> early 90s IRC and MUD cultures

It goes back before that. There were well known Usenet folks who adhered to the style. The 1970s-and-earlier Arpanet was before my time, but I'm sure it existed then too ;).

quesera5mo ago

You know, I was trying to remember if anyone from Usenet did similarly, but I couldn't think of anyone.

I was a bit post-Great Renaming into well post-Eternal September. And we may have followed different groups.

The style arises spontaneously in isolated individuals and groups of course (at least since e. e. cummings!), but it was pervasive-to-universal on IRC and MUDs.

I do wonder how it trickled into there though. The most boring answer is probably the correct one. it was slightly easier to type and kids are naturally flexible.

1 more reply

stickfigure5mo ago

You whippersnappers!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._E._Cummings

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse