You know, I was trying to remember if anyone from Usenet did similarly, but I couldn't think of anyone.

I was a bit post-Great Renaming into well post-Eternal September. And we may have followed different groups.

The style arises spontaneously in isolated individuals and groups of course (at least since e. e. cummings!), but it was pervasive-to-universal on IRC and MUDs.

I do wonder how it trickled into there though. The most boring answer is probably the correct one. it was slightly easier to type and kids are naturally flexible.

I wrote in lower case on Usenet before the renaming.

So there's one.

I think I did too, but it may have varied by newsgroup, and I wasn't particularly prolific.

I'm not sure whether I'm brave enough to search the archives for my own writing. :)

You whippersnappers!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._E._Cummings

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. It’s like watching a discussion about who invented orcs, Terry Brooks or Terry Pratchett.

I don't mean to imply invention, just community ubiquity.

Obviously e.e. is the o.g. :)