

Ask HN: Is target="_blank" becoming outdated? - jqueryin

While browsing a few blogs today, I clicked on an outbound link. To no surprise, it opened a new window. I understand that everybody wants to keep people on their site for the longest amount of time possible, but I have a hunch. I tend to manually middle click when I'd prefer to open a window in a new tab. Perhaps it's just us techies (or me), but I see usage of target="_blank" slowly becoming unnecessary as the general population learns the key combinations to make their own decisions.<p>What are everyone elses thoughts on this common-place technique? Does a window popup irk you as much as it does me nowadays? It really may just be applicable to tech sites.<p><i>I'm guilty of using target="_blank" on my blogs as well. I'm rethinking this one...</i>
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infinity
Opening new browser windows has been on the Top 10 list of design mistakes of
1999:

<http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990530.html>

I hate it, if the back button breaks. I know many people who use the back
button as one of the main elements of the browser. I have been present several
times, when somebody got really angry because of a broken back button. So I
would recommend the following rule as best practice:

Don't ever break the back button!

It takes much work and creativity to make visitors love websites. We should
not ruin that hard work by a silly design decision like target="_blank".

Also, the target="_blank" is a relic from the time of framesets. This time is
over.

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madhouse
target="_blank" is horrible. It was a stupid thing in the beginning, and
remains to be awful to this day.

If I want to open something in a new tab or window, I will do so, no website
should tinker with my tabs and windows, be it opening new ones or anything
else: it's none of its business. Opening a new tab without MY approval is
about as bad as spying on other tabs or attempting to interfere with them in
any other way.

Middle click and the open in new tab/window context menu option in most
browsers is there for a reason, have been there for years, and most people I
know (techies and non-techies alike) know how to use it, and was one of the
first things they learned to use when they met with a web browser.

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OpenAlgorithm
I know from experience that most people don't know the key combos to open in
their chosen windows.

I always use Ctrl + T, but when I'm demonstrating something or somebody is
watching me browse they almost always ask what I have done when I use the
combo.

It's dangerous to assume that your readers are as technically proficient as
yourself. But I can see in certain citations why it might be applicable, e.g.
on Hacker News the majority of their readers are going to know the keyword
shotcuts because that's their target market.

I do think that the blog choosing for you can be a pain, but the combos still
work on the majority of links and for those who don't know them you can keep
them on your site by using the target= in the link HTML, probably the best of
both worlds.

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mikelbring
I think for user's that don't really understand how to open something in a new
tab or new window, they might not really want to leave your site when clicking
on an external link. But who knows, if they leave, they could come back.

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LarryMade
On more business oriented web apps, I use it to create separate windows when
generating reports; i.e. web-generated PDFs don't have an exit button. There
it is VERY useful.

I still use it on some sites, knowing not everyone knows how to create new
browser windows by right-clicking links, and I do find it a pain myself on
sites that don't use it, and I forgotten and have to page back to get to where
I was before. So since I prefer it, and I find it convenient, I go with it.

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adrianwaj
A plugin that changed the color of the cursor if a new window would open upon
hovering over such links would be great.

here's one way: [http://www.binaryturf.com/firefox-visually-identify-links-
op...](http://www.binaryturf.com/firefox-visually-identify-links-open-window/)

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kat
Wow, I didn't realize what a pain target="_blank" was. I'm definitely guilty
of using it.

Have you considered changing your browser settings so a new tab opens instead
of a new window? On Firefox its edit-preferences-tabs-'open new window in new
tab instead'

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StuffMaster
He probably does, but that's no justification for using it. If I left-click on
a link, that means I _don't_ want it to open in a new tab or window.

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pdenya
target="_blank" may or may not be a minor annoyance to some users. I've
personally never gotten a complaint about it on any sites i've built/run. Just
like every other tool it has it's uses. The standard way I've been seeing it
used is to open links to new sites in new windows/tabs and open links that
keep the user on your site in the same window/tab.

I don't see anything wrong with continuing to use it.

