Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of the at symbol (@) used in emails and subsequently by various social networks including Twitter, has passed away at the age of 74.
Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of the email “at” sign (@), has passed away at the age of 74. The media and social networks are paying tribute to him these hours.
Ray Tomlinson was working with the company that developed email software when he faced a choice:which symbol should I choose to connect the user without causing confusion?The anecdote was told by Ray Tomlinson himself to Wired a few years ago.
Tomlinson’s concern was to choose a symbol not too commonly used by users so as not to be confused with a username. “I looked at the keyboard,” Tomlinson recounted, “and I thought, what can I choose here that won’t be confused with a username?”
Indeed, the “@” symbol was almost entirely unknown and practically unused up to that point, despite being present on the keyboard. Today, however, it is one of the most used symbols, and not just “obligatorily” for emails. If you want to mention someone on Twitter, for example, the symbol to use with the username is the “at” sign, but also on Facebook, the “at” sign allows you to quickly tag, for the purpose of returning a tag, both a profile and a page.
In the words ofHall Of Famethe revolution brought about by Ray Tomlinson is summarized:
Tomlinson’s email program brought about a complete revolution, radically changing the way of communicating, from large companies to small shops, and the way millions of people keep in touch with friends and family, regardless of whether they are across the city or on the other side of the world. Email remains the most popular application, with over a billion and a half users communicating, overcoming traditional barriers of time and space..
Various tributes appeared on media and social networks dedicated to the inventor of the world’s most famous “sign,” from Google to his collaborators. Rest in peace @RayTomlinson
Pubblicato in Digital Tools
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