Why My Links Don’t Open in New Windows
By Michael on Sep 14, 2006 in Misc
So I got this message from another Mike a little while ago:
Keep up the good work. Great Blog! One suggestion: can you setup your links to open in another window? Kirk does this and it works very well to prevent getting lost. Thanks!
People ask me about that from time to time. While some people like their links to open in new windows, I’m defintely in the opposite camp. I’d much rather leave it up to the reader to decide how the links load. Folks with modern browsers (that means just about everything except for Internet Explorer) will likely want to open the links in new tabs. I find it interesting that Mike feels that opening links in new windows would keep people from getting lost. Take my previous post for example, which, I think, prompted Mike’s email. There are 16 links in that post. Is it really better (simpler) to open 16 different windows? I’ll use my tabs any day.
Many people consider setting links to open in new windows is poor web design. Here’s a quote from an article about the top 10 mistakes in Web Design:
9. Opening New Browser Windows
Opening up new browser windows is like a vacuum cleaner sales person who starts a visit by emptying an ash tray on the customer’s carpet. Don’t pollute my screen with any more windows, thanks (particularly since current operating systems have miserable window management).
Designers open new browser windows on the theory that it keeps users on their site. But even disregarding the user-hostile message implied in taking over the user’s machine, the strategy is self-defeating since it disables the Back button which is the normal way users return to previous sites. Users often don’t notice that a new window has opened, especially if they are using a small monitor where the windows are maximized to fill up the screen. So a user who tries to return to the origin will be confused by a grayed out Back button.
Links that don’t behave as expected undermine users’ understanding of their own system. A link should be a simple hypertext reference that replaces the current page with new content. Users hate unwarranted pop-up windows. When they want the destination to appear in a new page, they can use their browser’s “open in new window” command — assuming, of course, that the link is not a piece of code that interferes with the browser’s standard behavior.
And here’s another article that frowns creating links which open in new windows. A snippet:
Here are the top 5 reasons why you should beware of opening links in a new window:
- Unless you warn them, Web users are likely to expect the new page to load in the current window. Unexpected surprises can be fun, but not when you’re browsing the Web.
- The act of opening a new browser window resets the back button in that window. The back button is the second most used navigation function (after hyperlinks, source: useit.com), so resetting it is a big no-no.
- To open a new browser window can disorient very novice Web users and the visually impaired. They might not realise that a new window has opened and might struggle to switch between windows.
- Opening a new browser window disrespects the desires of your users. If they want a new window, they’ll ask for one. Don’t force a new window upon users unless there’s a very good reason to do so.
- New browser windows can make an already cluttered taskbar even more difficult to use. We’ve all spent ages hunting through the taskbar in search of the window we want. Don’t make this process even harder by increasing the number of windows the user has open.
To each his own but if you’re using Internet Explorer and want to open links in new windows just hold down the SHIFT key while you click on links.
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20 Comment(s)
By Chris on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Mike,
I am on the opposite side here. I hate tabs (don’t know why but I do). I love multiple windows (still don’t know why but I do).
I use both IE and Mozilla but still gravitate towards IE (go figure).
I always right click and open to new window on your site when viewing your quick links. I don’t complain or care either way.
However, only 15.19% of all viewers of my main site came from Firefox last month. IE still dominates the traffic on my site.
But, only 8% of viewers were using Firefox in January so the share has doubled in eight months (a trend I am aware of).
By Michael on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Chris,
That’s why I say, to each his own. I realize that different people like different things. That’s why I choose not to impose “open in new window” upon people. It’s easy enough for the reader to open the links how they prefer.
By Trader-X on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
I cannot live without tabs.
In either IE or Firefox, all you have to do is right click if you want to open a link in a new window.
By Tim on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
I’m a tabs person too.
By Ugly on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Mike - opening windows for links is so annoying, I am very glad you don’t do it.
By Trader-X on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
On second thought, if you could automatically open a new window with the Trader-X blog everytime someone clicks on a link - well, that would be pretty cool.
By Michael on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
I’ll get right on that.
By Andre Reis on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Yes, definitely no opening on new windows. For those of you still living in the IE world: hold shift and then click on links to open them in new windows.
And please, get a decent browser. Be it Firefox, or Opera, or whatever. Once you feel tabs and mouse gestures and adblock, you can never go back.
Cheers!
By Randy on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
“The act of opening a new browser window resets the back button in that window. The back button is the second most used navigation function (after hyperlinks, source: useit.com), so resetting it is a big no-no.”
What malarkey. It’s self-fulfilling from not having a new tab/window open. If that were the standard method, the back button would no longer be used as often, it would be the close button.
There are at least four issues with using the BACK button for navigation:
1. In some cases, information may be lost because the previous page is redisplayed with a change in page content.
2. It may not be a trivial task to redisplay the page you’re trying to return to.
3. If redirection was done on the web page just opened, the back button alone doesn’t get you back to where you were. Then you have to go to the drop-down box.
4. Some sites specifically ask you NOT to use the back button because of how they process going between multiple pages of data.
However, using the Mouse Gestures extension with FireFox makes it easy for me to choose what I want to do — open in new tab in background, open in new tab in foreground, open in same tab, or close a tab. The only problem I have is with sites that REQUIRE something be opened in the same window (e.g. via a javascript link).
I also have the Tab extension in FireFox default to opening an external link in a new tab. That’s the nice thing about FireFox — you can customize a lot of things.
By Jay on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
I like fast framing a la InstantBull.com style - most efficient way to see lots of stock market blogs
By Michael on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Jay,
I can’t stand that. I also hate the way they resize (hijack) the browser. That’s some AOL type sh!t
By Jay on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Michael,
What counts for me is not wasting the little spare time i have on opening countless tabs and windows - they’ve figured out a way to do that specific to stock my research needs and i like the fact that i can still view the original sites not some coldblooded rss feed. So what if they have to standardize the frame size? anything that REALLY saves my time is worth your quibbles about resizing the frame!
Jay
By Michael on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Like I said, to each his own. For me, tabs are the quickest & most efficient
By Scott on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
“if youre using Internet Explorer and want to open links in new windows just hold down the SHIFT key while you click on links”
If you are in ‘kick back mode’ surfing one-handed you can always right-click the link and select ‘open in new window’
Chris the anti-tabite mentions this in the first post but many probably stopped reading when he espoused his IE preference.
By paul on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Well the Q’s are stuck at 40 - they day was a big waste - Everybody gets into R’s and it is a preference. I understand R’s and prefer the increase in net worth concept - but I respect the R’s - as for tabs - I had to think - actually I open new tabs without thinking when I need them and sometimes just move from one window to another and come back if I want. Well the Q’s seem to be held up at 40 like they only have one place to go….lets talk about that.
By Mike on Sep 14, 2006 | Reply
Mike, thanks for the considered reply. No problems here. I use tabs in what I refer to as my ‘main’ browser window with all my favorite sites but I like new windows when I wander thru links. That’s because sometimes you can get so deep it’s a pain to back your way out so it’s easier to just kill the ‘wandering’ window and I’m back home. To each his own.
By EM on Sep 15, 2006 | Reply
I’m with the camp that likes links to open in new windows or tabs. But, I don’t think you can have a link open in a new tab automatically. From a marketing standpoint, opening in a new window virturally ensures your homepage won’t be closed. I also don’t know too many people who are going to open 16 different windows at once. It’s much easier to click on a link, have it open in a new window, close the window and continue browsing that page you were browsing. It’s really a pain to have to keep click the back button, especially if there’s a link in the new window you opened that you want to check out. You can go on and on in the new window and when you done… just close it and you’re back on Tradermike.net.
By eR0CK on Sep 15, 2006 | Reply
Tabs are the future … the problem is getting used to them. The IE7 beta has tabs built in and so does all the versions of firefox. I can’t imagine opening multiple windows and hogging my system resources that have to manage all these windows. I right click links and open the articles in a new tab … works in the new IE and FF or like the above user said Shift+Click and viola, a new tab appears.
Also I like to ALT+TAB to see different APPLICATIONS not different WINDOWS. Tabs works great and an easy CRTL+T opens a blank tab and CTRL+TAB lets you browse your open tabs within FF. IE7 has even more features.
Once you get used to the tabbed environment it’s literally awesome. I’ve met very few end users who dislike tabs.
By Jason Coleman on Sep 15, 2006 | Reply
Stay cool, Mike.
By Mark on Sep 15, 2006 | Reply
Mike:
I agree with Jay’s comments about instantbull.com: opening tabs takes 2 clicks, their nice selection of blogs takes just 1 click so why do you reply that tabs are more efficient? I also like the nice page width buttons they have at the top right which let me break out of any pages frame horizontally.