Shoutbox

in reference to
http://shoutbox.menthix.net/showthread.php?tid=46...d=483812#pid483812

quote:

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Originally posted by multimillion2k
what do those asterisks *really* mean??

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It means the word is emphasized as bold writing.

This type of emphesizing words is used when no graphical code (visible layouting of text) is available. Or when graphical code is available but the user doesn't want to use the special tags, but plain text characters.

Using those special "markers" in texts which could be formed in a graphical way could also mean that the user wants to emphesize a word, but not as clearly/much as with the visible layout tags. Thus *this* would mean a bit less bold emphesized as this....

most common used:
*bold*
_underlined_

Note: This use of emphasizing comes from the time that word processors weren't WYSIWYG and visible graphical layouting of text wasn't available (eg: Word Perfect for DOS)

You can still use those emphasing characters in some modern word processors though. It will automatically change the encapseled word in the proper visible text layout (eg: When you type *this* in MS Word, it will autoamtically be converted to this... <= you can turn this beheviour on/off in the settings of MS Word.)