alt Hacker NewsAnyone else remember the brief time in the mid 2000s that these were called "smileys" and damn near every webpage ad wanted to install a questionable IE 6 toolbar so you could "get more smileys"?
Quality kid memory for me. I also remember watching another kid click on an ad for a free ipod and then enter in his home address and other personal info.
Replies
lelanthran • yesterday at 5:46 PM
Smileys were something else (pure acid, like this :-)).
ISTR the brief time you mention calling these things emoticons.
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kilroy123 • yesterday at 10:16 PM
If you want a trip down memory lane.
post-it • yesterday at 5:41 PM
Don't forget cursor customizers!
The wikipedia entry for emoji is missing this entirely, but "smileys" were quite popular in various instant messaging apps (AOLIM, ICQ) and web forums. I was fairly sure they go back as far the mid or late 90's but I can't seem to find any hard evidence of that.
(I was into computers at the time but didn't see the point of IM apps or forums when IRC and Usenet already existed.)