This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on September 13, 2002). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.
Everything’s gotta start somewhere, right?
Back in 1982, this post showed up on the CMU CS general bboard…
19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman
:-)
From: Scott E Fahlman <Fahlman at Cmu-20c>I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:
:-)Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use
:-(
And the world has never been the same!
Mike Jones has the full story.