Why does lemmy have it, so any link takes you off the page instead of opening in a new tab or window?

SnausagesinaBlanket@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 165 points –

It is a simple line of code and the entire site does this or add target="_blank" to every hyperlink, and it will do the same thing. It sucks that you have to right-click every link to open in a new tab or window and it is such a simple fix.

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You can use middle click to open sites in a different tab

Or Ctrl+Click to open in a new tab in the background, or Ctrl+Shift+Click to open in a new tab and switch to it. Regardless, I agree with OP that this should be the default.

I'm aware of this and do this but its annoying when it could just open a new link away from Lemmy because so much of being on a lemmy instance for some reason involves me keeping Lemmy in one tab so I stay logged in... because if I leave... then I have to sign back in again.

Laptops don't have middle clicks.

Everyone knows the various workarounds. You don't need to post them. This thread is about a problem that ought not to exist.

Thats subjective. Different people have different opinions on how this should work. Making the default open in the current tab still allows you to have the alternate behaviour with ctrl+click or middle-click. The reverse does not.

A simple checkbox in the settings allows users to choose which option they'd prefer.

"just add a setting" is generally bad software design. If you have a million toggle switches, it makes it difficult to test the various combinations.

Sometimes an option is useful enough that it's worth adding to settings. I don't think this is one of them. Just use middle click or Ctrl+click or back arrow.

It's overriding my browser preferences. That should not happen.

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I think that forcing links to create new tabs world be a problem. Links working the default, normal way is a feature, not a bug.

Links opening in new tabs is the default normal way. Most sites don't send you off their site by default, for obvious reasons. And most feeds won't lose your place in the feed by default, for equally obvious reasons.

Please tell me how to open a link with target=_blank in the same tab if I want to.

Or, maybe you think that the problem should not exist because you think your opinion is everyone's?

Everyone knows the various workarounds.

You have no idea what "everyone" knows. Many - and I'm certain most - don't.

My laptop has middle click on the touchpad

Mine doesn't but I've found an option to switch three-finger click to middle mouse button. Thanks.

Ctrl + Click

But yeah, it's odd.

The worst is fucking Jira. Why on Earth would I want to navigate away from my ticketing system EVER.

Most laptops have gestures like triple finger tap on the mouse pad for simulated wheel click

They do when you plug in a mouse.

So now I need to buy a mouse and sit at a desk in order to use Lemmy?

C'mon. No other site behaves like this. It needs to be fixed.

"To own a mouse, one must first buy a mouse."

  • Carl Sagan

Once you've crawled under that hurdle, you buy a hard mouse pad. Mine's steel covered with a thin layer of plastic. Works great on the arm of a couch or just on a pillow.

Now you can play first person shooters on the couch! Without the horrors of a controller.

Navigating the web is easier. Everything is easier! It's dreamy. Give it a try sometime.

If I wanted a mouse, I would have a mouse. I do not want a mouse.

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