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Ask HN: Why doesn't HN open submitted links in a new tab?
A bit trivial, I know, but I've always found it slightly annoying to have to press the back button to return to HN or explicitly right click and open the link in a new tab myself. Why doesn't HN automatically open external links in a new tab?
- wmf 14y agoBecause that's how it was done in Web 1.0. Also, I always thought sites created new tabs for "stickiness" which is not an issue on a non-pageview-whoring site.
- dangrossman 14y agoHold control when you click to open a link in a new tab. You can also middle-click if you have a mouse. Hold shift and click to open in a new window. Where a link opens is in your control, as it should be.
- anilm823 14y agoI'm aware of the ways to force open a new tab, I was just curious as to why this wasn't the default. IMO, it provides for a friendlier user experience.
- dangrossman 14y agoIf a website forces a new tab when you don't want to open a new tab (as I don't), that's not friendly at all. There's no easy way to override that behavior, while it's easy to get the behavior you want.
- brudgers 14y agoHN is the site that modified the way I click on links. I started using the middle button instead of browsing like it was 1999.
- subsection1h 14y agoIt might provide a better experience for some people, but what about people who don't want links to open in new tabs? Opening links in new tabs is trivial (e.g., middle-click). Does every web browser support an equally simple way to force a link to open in the current tab? (On a related note, a problem I've been having lately is that many JavaScript-heavy sites have links that fail to open when middle-clicked. I wonder whether the people who were previously making unusable Flash sites have moved to JavaScript.)
- jwillgoesfast 14y agoI agree, In general I prefer a new tab, its what has become "conventional" for better or worse, but its also nice to be able to navigate a few pages deep on the linked site, then just close the tab to get back to HN quickly.
- anilm823 14y agoMy thoughts exactly. Call it sheer laziness, but the fact that the linked site is not opened in a new tab prevents me from navigating too deep into the linked site.
- zoowar 14y agoConfigure it in your browser and move on with your life.