new forum gripe

There has long been a debate between web developers whether links to other sites should automatically open in new windows.

I am in the camp of "Yes, they should open in new windows" with the caveat that there should be some sort of pre-notification to the user that this is what is going to happen. I believe that opening other sites in the same window distracts from the flow of viewing/reading forums/topics.

Now, there are web developers out there who will scream at me that I'm absolutely wrong. And I've read their arguments ad nauseum, none convincing up to this point.

Steve I am with you. Why would you want to leave the site you are on just to reference another site. It is like taking the edition of the encyclopedia back to the stacks just because the article you were reading references another article in another edition. Oh hey I have to go back to the stacks now and get the original article I was reading. Does not make any sense to me.

I'm still using Fortran Cards myself.............

and again the simple resolution to this whole debate is using the right click option and either selecting "Open In New Window" or Open In New Tab" depending on what browser you use.

There has long been a debate between web developers whether links to other sites should automatically open in new windows.

I am in the camp of "Yes, they should open in new windows" with the caveat that there should be some sort of pre-notification to the user that this is what is going to happen. I believe that opening other sites in the same window distracts from the flow of viewing/reading forums/topics.

Now, there are web developers out there who will scream at me that I'm absolutely wrong. And I've read their arguments ad nauseum, none convincing up to this point.

Steve I am with you. Why would you want to leave the site you are on just to reference another site. It is like taking the edition of the encyclopedia back to the stacks just because the article you were reading references another article in another edition. Oh hey I have to go back to the stacks now and get the original article I was reading. Does not make any sense to me.

The same could be said even for links within the same site though. The distinction of links to different sites is largely an arbitrary one. And it's really not anything like taking things back to the stacks, and going back to the stacks to retrieve it again. Clicking on the "Back" button isn't much different then a closing or minimizing a new window to get to the old article. Really need to keep them both up? The browser has you covered.

As previously addressed, every modern browser affords the user with the ability to open in a new window/tab quickly and easily if that's what you want -- no need to even go through the trouble of right click and using the menu, you can easily shift/ctrl/alt click or use the mouse3 (middle) button. Opening other sites in the same window may distract from the flow of reading/viewing forums/topics... but opening other sites in a new window distracts as well; it's sorta the point of following a link to begin with - to view something else. This is inherently distracting from the forum or topic you were reading previously, but it's the foundation on which the www is built.

Obviously it's up to every individual web master to decide what they want their site to do. Frankly I find a site that forces me to open a new window to be annoying. If I wanted it in a new window, I'd have opened it in a new window.

The same could be said even for links within the same site though. The distinction of links to different sites is largely an arbitrary one. And it's really not anything like taking things back to the stacks, and going back to the stacks to retrieve it again. Clicking on the "Back" button isn't much different then a closing or minimizing a new window to get to the old article. Really need to keep them both up? The browser has you covered.

Using the back button is an option but if you go deep into the next site then how many backs do you hit. It's a pain in my opinion.

I use a Mac, running Safari for a web browser. So what I often do is Command-click which opens the link in a new tab. If you are using Safari under Windows I think it's an Alt-click for the same thing.

The same could be said even for links within the same site though. The distinction of links to different sites is largely an arbitrary one. And it's really not anything like taking things back to the stacks, and going back to the stacks to retrieve it again. Clicking on the "Back" button isn't much different then a closing or minimizing a new window to get to the old article. Really need to keep them both up? The browser has you covered.

As previously addressed, every modern browser affords the user with the ability to open in a new window/tab quickly and easily if that's what you want -- no need to even go through the trouble of right click and using the menu, you can easily shift/ctrl/alt click or use the mouse3 (middle) button. Opening other sites in the same window may distract from the flow of reading/viewing forums/topics... but opening other sites in a new window distracts as well; it's sorta the point of following a link to begin with - to view something else. This is inherently distracting from the forum or topic you were reading previously, but it's the foundation on which the www is built.

Obviously it's up to every individual web master to decide what they want their site to do. Frankly I find a site that forces me to open a new window to be annoying. If I wanted it in a new window, I'd have opened it in a new window.

One person's "arbitrary" is another person's "clear demarcation".

Again, I offered the caveat that if an external link loads in a new window, it should have a way of alerting the user to that beforehand, so they can take action to load it in the same window via right-click choice. I see all this as a matter of not surprising the user, whether the webmaster decides to automatically open new windows for external links or not.

While this automatic opening of new windows for external links is annoying to some (granted), it is not annoying and indeed welcomed by others, especially judging from this discussion. Can't please everyone.

[Robin Garr]

> Can't please everyone. >

Let's just leave this topic at that for now. We won't be in a position to make mods or fixes for a bit. The new software is excellent. Let's love it as it is for now. Thanks, All!