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?

smilies
Smiling and other emotions are immature. Emotions make you look like a retarded toddler, who gets isterically amused at everything he sees. These emotional people prefer GUIs with bells and whistles to more practical REPL, just becaus these 3d cubes and effects give them emotions.