[Pan-users] OT: calling all old-timers -- using * for attributions

[Steven D'Aprano]

Forgive the off-topic post, but over on a newsgroup I frequent, one of 
the old-timers made a claim that "*" was frequently used for 
attributions back in the Good Old Days before the current crop 
of "lesser quality" newsreaders. Instead of:

On Tuesday November 3 2009, Fred said:
> blah blah blah

this poster uses:

* Fred:
> blah blah blah

and claims it is "clearer". 

I can't say I've ever seen this, but I've only been using Usenet for 
15-odd years, so not an old-timer. Any old-timers ever seen this and 
like to comment?




-- 
Steven D'Aprano