And after you emailed them you could finger their address and see when they last... | Hacker News

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icameron on March 17, 2025 | parent | context | favorite | on: Launching RDAP; sunsetting WHOIS

And after you emailed them you could finger their address and see when they last checked their email, and their unread message count usually.

giancarlostoro on March 17, 2025 [–]

I had no idea this was a thing for email... Wow.

sedatk on March 17, 2025 | | [–]

Not just that. People had ".plan" files that could be viewed with finger, and they would post updates there. I specifically remember John Carmack sharing daily news and updates on his account. It was the first form of "Twitter" back in the 90's.

layer8 on March 17, 2025 | | [–]

Only for Unix accounts.

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