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The most accurate answer would be "HN started as a community of fans of Paul Graham's essays, and this is the syntax he uses in his essays, so this style was im
by SonOfLilit 6y ago
The most accurate answer would be "HN started as a community of fans of Paul Graham's essays, and this is the syntax he uses in his essays, so this style was imported to HN and thrives to this day".
- maccard 6y agoIt's also the standard format for non-pg essays, and published content. And, as hyperlinks aren't available in HN comments, this is the least disruptive way to insert text.
- SonOfLilit 6y agoSpecifically [1]-style footnotes weren't popular in the early days of HN, but everyone on HN used them. I guess today I see them a lot more all over the web. [1] footnote