this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2023
84 points (97.7% liked)

Explain Like I'm Five

14082 readers
2 users here now

Simplifying Complexity, One Answer at a Time!

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
sabbah@lemmy.world
AradFort@lemmy.world
rikudou@lemmings.world
Don_Dickle@lemmy.world
Rikudou_Sage@lemmy.world
84
What happens to the ampersand on the internet? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by SacredHeartAttack@lemmy.world to c/explainlikeimfive@lemmy.world
18 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I feel like whenever I see the ampersand on this website, it’s followed with “amp;”. I’ve noticed it other places on the internet also. Why does this happen? Is it some programming thing?

Just for a test: &

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Zarxrax@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But, shouldn't this have been a solved problem like, back in the 90s? Why is it that modern software like Lemmy still has issues with it?

[–] Kaato112487@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

There are good reasons why software may wish to ignore escape characters, but this likely comes down to human error. There are many programming problems that have been solved for decades, but occasionally you'll still see them appear in newer software for that reason.

From my own work, I certainly have code that isn't 100% right, but it works well enough that I instead spend my time in other areas.