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Colorfilter.net | Creative Art Resources
The new window of doom
Posted on October 22, 2006 at 09:50 pm under Tea's Musings
I understand the desire to insert target="_blank” into links that takes visitors off a website- really, I do. Site owners often want visitors to remain on their site even if they’re clicking links to take them elsewhere, so what better way than to force a new browser window to open when the link is clicked? Off they go, here they stay, and you win, yes?
Not for me, you don’t. I personally would rather be given the choice to open a new tab or window if I see the need to do so. But that’s possibly a different debate altogether, and I also won’t bother getting into the fact that the target attribute doesn’t validate for XHTML 1.0 Strict or 1.1. Nevermind all that.
My annoyance right now simply stems from my inability to understand why some webmasters feel the need to force a new browser window for something like a “site moved” link. It’s pointless, annoying, and contains no benefits for anyone- not even the webmasters who are looking to keep their visitors on their site. After all, why in the world would I want to have an extra browser window open just to accomodate a page that has nothing on it but a message that tells me your site has moved to a new address?
I’d think it makes more sense to want visitors to leave an old and dead URL completely rather than keep them there. Yet this senseless practice of forcing a new and useless browser window to open is something I come across 9 out of 10 times whenever I’ve visited a site that has moved. Just today alone, it’s happened twice. Why? Does it have some sort of a redeeming quality that I’m just missing completely?
I’m inclined to think that unless the site moved message on the old URL has the ability to magically transform itself into a message that tells me the hidden secrets of the universe, webmasters should just leave the target="_blank” out of said links.
Comments: 9
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It’s as if they think we’re morons who don’t have the ability to right-click and choose “new window/tab”. -___- I hate it when webmasters think they’re so much more intelligent than their audience. (Same goes for software makers, and just people in general!)
Isn’t the “target” function now out of use in the new version of XHTML, as well?
I would be lying if I said I had never forced new windows on some of my sites; in fact, I’ve even had visitors ask me to do that in the past. I do see why it’d be convenient for some, but it’s also something that can be really annoying, especially for tabbed browser users. It just makes more sense to let visitors decide on their own.
And yes, the target attribute won’t validate for any HTML or XHTML strict versions, as well as, XHTML 1.1. Unfortunately, most sites out on the web aren’t validated anyhow…
By the way, thanks for commenting. You’re the first! :)
I’d have to be lying if I said I made every single one of my sites validated… it gives me nightmares. :)
Woohoo! First comment!
I have a Firefox Extension installed that makes links that try to force open a new browser window instead just create a new tab. It’s called Tab Mix Plus. I love it to death.
Additionally, I have my settings altered so that if *ANY* link goes to a site that is not on the same domain, it automatically opens a new tab. (Like...say I do a Google search, if I click on any of the results, the page opens in a new tab!)
For me, this is a lot easier. I prefer to keep webpages open as long as possible until I’m done with them. I am a huge proponent of the “middle button click” too, to open stuff in a new tab. By the end of a browsing session, I typically have upwards of 10-15 tabs open, and then I can go through them at my leisure.
I don’t even notice target="_blank" anymore.
Kellzilla said:
I’m the same way (worse, actually). Right now, I have 3 windows open and they each have about 10 tabs open. I admit my browsing habits contribute quite a bit to my annoyance at a useless window popping up on me. I already have so many open; don’t give me another one!
Thank you so much for mentioning Tab Mix Plus. I jump back and forth between Safari and Firefox, so I’m definitely going to have to check that out. It sounds like something I’d find a lot of use for.
Truthfully, I generally don’t mind new windows all that much. I just think there’s a time for when it really needs to be left out.
Tab Mix Plus is a lifesaver, though I wish I could figure out how to disable the “close all tab but this one” on the right-click menu. It’s a nightmare accidentally closing all those windows and then finding that you can’t get them all back.
Brighty said:
Story of my life...lol. It happens to me more times than I can count. It would be really great if Tab Mix Plus has that feature! I haven’t had the chance to try it out yet, but I’m going to give it a go later today.
oh there is another plugin you can use for firefox that helps with that....it’s session manager. when you close the window accidentally or firefox crashes you just open a frefox browser again, look under tools for session manager, and click on ‘last session’. everything comes up as it was, easy as pie. i love it!
@ Jyms: Ah, I should’ve known there’s an extension for just about everything when it comes to Firefox! That sounds like something I would also need. I have to admit that Opera’s been looking quite enticing to me these days due to their tab-remembering feature.
By the way, thanks for dropping by and commenting. :)