links in new windows: threat or menace?

[egypturnash]

From a brief discussion on the practice of making links in your LJ open in new windows...

[Poll #810323]

Feel free to expand on your opinion in the comments!

Comments

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Me, I hate it. Especially when I get a page with a lot of links, all of which force a new window. I keep a bookmarklet in my browser toolbar to force all links on a page to open in the same window.

Every now and then it's useful, but casually and habitually making every link open in a new window bugs the fuck out of me. Most forums nowadays default to this behavior, and it always makes my teeth grind.

[nicked-metal.livejournal.com]

If I want a new window, I'll tell my computer to give me one. But the odds are I either want it in my current window, or in a new tab.

[zeeth_kyrah]

Agreed. If a link opens in a new window, I want to always be warned, because I have ways of making it open where I want it to open.

Now if only Firefox would allow tabs to have names like windows do...

[tracerj.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Part of the original concept for HTML in the first place was that it would merely define the nature of the content, and leave it to whatever was interpreting the page (the browser) to determine just what to do with that. Unless there's a really solid reason to make a link open up in a new window/tab/screen/bubble — and if ther is that reason, it should damned well merit a warning that the link will open that way! — then it's best left to the user's discretion how to treat it.

[orb2069.livejournal.com]

If I want a new window, I'll tell my computer to give me one
Same here. Window forcing always strikes me, perhaps irrationally, as an act of hubris.

I despite sites that force 'new windows' on me.

[wolfwings.livejournal.com]

Especially with how incompatable that is with tabbed browsing.

The point of HTML is not to make pixel-specific 'popup window' style sites. I especially despise those. Use the HTML like it's intended, as a dynamically self-adjusting layout script that can handle changing window sizes automagically, and we'll get along fine. And I get doubly-screwed because I'm running widescreen so a lot of websites will go, "Oh, you're 1280 wide, here's a version that's 960 or 1024 tall!" and leave me more-or-less screwed. :-P

Re: I despite sites that force 'new windows' on me.

[aprivatefox.livejournal.com]

Actually, I love new windows for exactly the same reason: Compatibility with tabbed browsing. I must have pleased the Browser Gods, because somehow my copy of Firefox interprets "Open in new window" as "Open in new tab," and that is exactly the right behavior - click, click, click, and everything I look at lands in its own little tab to load up until I'm ready for it.

Now, the one that annoys me is when things open in new background windows/tabs and begin playing something with a soundtrack. That means I need to abandon my workflow to go ferret out whatever window hates the earth, and terminate it with extreme prejudice so I can get back to whatever I was doing.

Re: I despite sites that force 'new windows' on me.

[eriscontrol.livejournal.com]

I believe that is an option that can be turned off and in in Firefox and Safari. But I haven't bothered to look in ages.

[kamenkyote.livejournal.com]

Gee, since my latest LJ entry (which you commented on) has links that open new windows... I wonder... :"D Seriously, I do that onl purpose as that's how I like to navigate myself. Don't know nothin' 'bout them fancy tab browser thingies. If there's more than one link in a given entry or page, I like to keep the main one open in the background so I can look at one window, close it, then open the next without reloading.

That being said, I guess there's really no reason not to let the person browsing choose to open the new window or not on their own.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Nah, I was writing this because of being pointed to a page with, like, twenty or thirty links to perspectives on the Harlan-Ellison-Groping-Connie-Willis-At-The-Hugos incident of this past weekend's Worldcon. And every single link wanted to open a new window... and I already had another browser window open already for the WTC comic I was browsing through! (which actually kinda needed one, as it was laid out for a larger space than I normally give my browser.)

I tend to use tabs the way you use new windows. But sometimes I just want to use the forwards/backwards model of browsing, and new windows break that. I should probably just adjust my ad-blocker to strip out 'target=_blank' stuff...

I didn't even notice that your links were to new windows; I apple-clicked on them to open them in new tabs.

[normanrafferty.livejournal.com]

I'm in the habit of shift-clicking (IE) or ctrl-clicking (FF) on websites, but I'm wacky.

One rule is clear: under no circumstances should a link actually be a Java applet for opening a new window. Not only does that screw up the tabbed browsers, it can easily malfunction. If one must, use the "target" tag.

[zenmouse.livejournal.com]

I think the best practice with this is if you have multiple links from a single blog entry, you should have all links go to the same target. (ie. target="something_other_than_blank") That way a new window opens away from the blog for your references and you can switch between those two windows.

Actually, it would be best if they could make a custom LJ HTML tag for links. You could specify the behavior of links in your options and LJ would render the links appropriately.

[10fc04.livejournal.com]

all links shall open in the same window.
all links shall open in a tab whed middle-mouse clicked in Firefox. broken javascript links that spawn a new empty window are not acceptable.

[wolflahti.livejournal.com]

Links should open in a new tab. Why isn't this an option in your poll?

I didn't understand what the big deal was about tabbed browsing until I actually used it. Then where-have-you-been-all-my-life?!

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Because that's something entirely in the hands of the user's decisions, in browsers that offer that as a choice. There's no way for a website to say "this link should open in a new tab", only the option of saying "new window" or not.

[secretagentmoof]

If I want things in a new tab, I middle-click on them (in firefox).

[starbiter.livejournal.com]

Uh, I'm not voting, because I open new links in a new tab in Firefox whenever I feel like it. So I guess my vote would be "leave it alone" ??? :D

[kajarainbow.livejournal.com]

My vote is because for very specific purposes I do find opening in a new window by default to be handy. I like just clicking to open my webcomics to read from one of the sites I use to monitor comic updates (the other does open-in-same-window but I just middle-click or the like). I also like opening things in a new window from Bloglines (online RSS reader). However, it would annoy me less to do without open-in-new-window than to continue having the many inappropriate uses I see. I would find most ideal having per-site settings for automatic opening of links in new windows.

I use Firefox about:config hidden settings, or an extension, to force things to open in new tabs instead of new windows.

[murrypurryfurry.livejournal.com]

Right-click -> Open in new tab. I love being the one in control, nuts to the web-designer. NUTS!

Barring that, always in a new window - always always! I was just viewing your page, why are you trying to drive me away from your page? I liked it there! Now I've forgotten all about it! Sucks to be you.

[murrypurryfurry.livejournal.com]

Oh, by the way, this goes doubly so for links in the body of a blog or any other sort of article.

[klawzie.livejournal.com]

Belatedly, I guess:
If I want it in another window, I'll right-click: Open in new window (or, occassionally, new tab). Otherwise, I want it to stay in the window I was using. :3

[trikotomy.livejournal.com]

I have links open in the same new window if I have more than one link present (using plain old target="whatever", which doesn't interfere with tabs or create a shrunken, featureless tardwindow), something that, to my knowledge, one can't command a browser to do. I also usually insert links in the middle of a paragraph, so I assume people would want to have the text and the link open at the same time. However, I admit it's something of a habit and I often do it without thought or justification.

[euphoriel.livejournal.com]

The only time I ever deal with new windows is when it won't open by middle-clicking it into a new tab in the background, normally caused by Javascript funkery. I don't go back to those websites a second time if I can help it, though.

[eyod.livejournal.com]

I have firefox automaticly set new windows to tabs, and I always open links in tabs anyway (hurray mouse wheel)