I found the same as you: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50428664
My chatbot found an unsourced claim that Bruce Sterling used it in 1992.
Google Books gets me back as far as 1990, but I don't trust it (https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Law_and_Business_...) - I think there's a good chance the publication date is wrong.
Earliest reference in British Newspaper Archive is 1997. I wonder if anyone has access to newspapers.com?
But if it first crops up on usenet in 1993, I can't imagine it being coined much earlier than that.
alt Hacker News
My chatbot found an unsourced claim that Bruce Sterling used it in 1992.
Google Books gets me back as far as 1990, but I don't trust it (https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Law_and_Business_...) - I think there's a good chance the publication date is wrong.
Earliest reference in British Newspaper Archive is 1997. I wonder if anyone has access to newspapers.com?
But if it first crops up on usenet in 1993, I can't imagine it being coined much earlier than that.