Hackers and smilies

Hello /prog/ I wonder why all the gurus use smilies with noses like :-) and ;-) instead of :) and ;). Is this some sort of way for hackers to prove their identity or are they just old?

The right to search for truth
    implies also a duty
            one must not conceal
                any part
                    of what one has recognized
                                    to be true

    Albert Einstein