Why are HTML query strings the way they are?

[lozina]

Why does a query string start with a ? but every subsequent variable gets a & ???

Why was it designed like this?

So annoying....

 

[Aikouka]

Every variable doesn't "get" an ampersand ... that's there for pure separation purposes. Also, the question mark is a character that's not allowed in file names, therefore, it's a good indicator that you're at the end of your designated filename.

 

[you2]

The last comment isn't true. You can have filenames with '?' and in the url you would quote them with %3F so they are not confused with the query string.