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No one uses the <a> `download` attribute for the reason we stopped forcing users to open new browser windows with target="_blank", they know how to download (or

No one uses the <a> `download` attribute for the reason we stopped forcing users to open new browser windows with target="_blank", they know how to download (or open a new tab) if they want to, and it breaks or confuses more often than it works. Who's using (or even heard of) <abbr> and <dfn> without `title`? I kinda thought that was what made them most useful, providing the full unabbreviated version for example.

brewmarche 5y ago
<abbr> sounds useful for screen readers
vikingerik 5y ago
target="_blank" wasn't replaced by user behavior, it was replaced by Javascript intercepting and logging and tracking every click. That said, opening links in a new tab/window is the less-breaky approach these days, since every page that the clicks came from is a mess of infinite scroll and reactive components and all sorts of other state that gets lost by clicking to another page and trying to go back.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
mdavidn 5y ago
I used the download attribute recently to force downloads for attachments from another service, one whose Content-Disposition headers are outside my control.
clairity 5y ago
an <abbr> can be marked as a abbreviation without providing the long form via a title, if you don't know the long form but want to note it as an abbr, or if the abbr is titled previously and you're reusing the same abbr multiple times in the same context. not sure about <dfn> without a title though.
efortis 5y ago
The download attribute is helpful. For instance, my app is offline-first and the "Files" you can create with it are JSON. Therefore, it's better that they get downloaded so the user can open or drop them into the app without having to see the raw data.
jw1224 5y ago
The download attribute is useful with images or files which the browser would normally preview. If I give my users a button labelled “Save PDF”, I want to know the Acrobat plug-in isn’t just going to hijack the response.
ok123456 5y ago
The download attribute is helpful when you don't have control over the mime types the server handles. Downloading is the sensible option as opposed to trying to display a .bin file. Also, it allows you to ensure that if you have a button that says 'download', it will actually download the file instead of having it replace the application---the principle of least surprise.
unsupp0rted 5y ago
I use target _blank all the time because otherwise my users “lose” their tab and don’t know to back button to it. Target _blank keeps the title of your page on the screen and clickable.
- TAKEMYMONEY 5y ago
  That was the older thinking. Turns out users know how to use the back button quite well, and don't expect or know how to return from the pop-ups target=_blank creates, it breaks the back button. In user testing they report they think they've clicked a spam link, and it hurt our conversions. That's before the accessibility concerns, users don't expect pop-ups anymore and find this confusing and difficult to navigate.
aendruk 5y ago
> Who's using <abbr> without `title`? I use it when setting acronyms in small caps. Their spelling can look like screaming otherwise.

brewmarche 5y ago

<abbr> sounds useful for screen readers

vikingerik 5y ago

target="_blank" wasn't replaced by user behavior, it was replaced by Javascript intercepting and logging and tracking every click. That said, opening links in a new tab/window is the less-breaky approach these days, since every page that the clicks came from is a mess of infinite scroll and reactive components and all sorts of other state that gets lost by clicking to another page and trying to go back.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

mdavidn 5y ago

I used the download attribute recently to force downloads for attachments from another service, one whose Content-Disposition headers are outside my control.

clairity 5y ago

an <abbr> can be marked as a abbreviation without providing the long form via a title, if you don't know the long form but want to note it as an abbr, or if the abbr is titled previously and you're reusing the same abbr multiple times in the same context. not sure about <dfn> without a title though.

efortis 5y ago

The download attribute is helpful. For instance, my app is offline-first and the "Files" you can create with it are JSON. Therefore, it's better that they get downloaded so the user can open or drop them into the app without having to see the raw data.

jw1224 5y ago

The download attribute is useful with images or files which the browser would normally preview. If I give my users a button labelled “Save PDF”, I want to know the Acrobat plug-in isn’t just going to hijack the response.

ok123456 5y ago

The download attribute is helpful when you don't have control over the mime types the server handles. Downloading is the sensible option as opposed to trying to display a .bin file. Also, it allows you to ensure that if you have a button that says 'download', it will actually download the file instead of having it replace the application---the principle of least surprise.

unsupp0rted 5y ago

I use target _blank all the time because otherwise my users “lose” their tab and don’t know to back button to it. Target _blank keeps the title of your page on the screen and clickable.

TAKEMYMONEY 5y ago
That was the older thinking. Turns out users know how to use the back button quite well, and don't expect or know how to return from the pop-ups target=_blank creates, it breaks the back button. In user testing they report they think they've clicked a spam link, and it hurt our conversions. That's before the accessibility concerns, users don't expect pop-ups anymore and find this confusing and difficult to navigate.

aendruk 5y ago

> Who's using <abbr> without `title`? I use it when setting acronyms in small caps. Their spelling can look like screaming otherwise.