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Ask HN: Why dont websites use _blank for external links anymore?

12 points by unsignednoop ↗ HN
Was it always like this? I find myself right clicking > new tabbing for every link now. Not to mention that the problem is exacerbated by “enhanced” js scrolling.

Some HN links from just today that do it https://fullstackeconomics.com/why-america-cant-build-big-things-any-more/

https://patrickcollison.com/fast

https://gankra.github.io/blah/fix-rust-pointers/

https://gashamola.com/2022/03/16/the-elephant-in-the-event-loop.html

And just for a nice change here’s a link that acts as you would expect

https://migrant.substack.com/p/how-google-fi-suddenly-struck?s=r

19 comments

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unsignednoop
Reviewing, this was just a rant. Should I delete?
izzygonzalez
I think it's relevant, especially when a site has state that could be lost when _self or _parent is used. It really sucks to lose your place because you accidentally clicked a link, forgetting to open it in a new tab.
a9h74j
Had this happen in a checkout sequence when it came to mandatory reading of the TOS link.
unsignednoop
Ouch did you accidentally sign up / agree to anything ?
nicbou
The discussion is still valuable
dangrossman
You can hold control when clicking a link to open it in a new tab, or hold shift to open it in a new window. If the website author puts a target on the link, then they're taking away your control over where the link opens. There's no reason for them to make the choice for you.
neon_me
this is so incredibly annoying to explain each marketing/management person … yet, on each release somebody raises the same question head_explosion
jraph
On Linux, a middle click opens a link in a new tab too.
7steps2much
Same behavior on windows in firefox. I am pretty sure this is the default for most browsers
IlPeach
I'm going to add my 2¢ here: the main reason for not using _blank is to give users the ability to choose whether they want to open links in a new tab or not.

More widely, from a UX perspective its use, as with any action the user can perform, should be clear on what to expect: e.g. using iconography that hints the opening is going to be in a new page, whether the link is pointing to a different domain, and stating what the link is about (i.e. no use of "click here").

This might not have been a conscious choice by the website designers, so not explaining why this is happening on those sites, but I hope it adds to the discussion.

Doctor_Fegg
I wish sites would offer the same choice with PDFs. So many times it’s delivered as a download when I really just want to browse it within Safari rather than have it cluttering up my downloads folder. If I do want to download it I’ll select Save (or option-click, or whatever).
hackernewds
This can be solved easily by dumping Safari for Chrome
m-p-3
IMO I'd prefer voicing a specific complaint than simply switch and let the developers wonder why I stopped using their product.
Doctor_Fegg
Sure, if I wanted a bloated performance hog of a browser that phones home at every opportunity.
herbst
I still do it for every external link, and while I myself use CTRL click on other sites I still see target _blank or $name to be a reasonable addition for any external link.
schwartzworld
Every designer I've ever worked with loved modals. About 75% of the use cases for them would be better served opening the link in a new tab.
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