Inbox should not open links in new windows

[zvi]

Title:
Inbox should not open links in new windows

Area:
inbox

Summary:
The last code push makes links in the inbox open in new windows. This is bad webdesign, and the behavior should revert.

Description:
The expected behavior of a webpage link is that it opens a link in the same window/tab. The inbox now opens (some?) links in new windows, but does not indicate which links will do so with any metainformation. A focus jump and unnanounced browser takeover are bad webdesign. It also interferes with the normal use of the back button. (See "The Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 1999" by Jakob Nielsen [ http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990530.html ]

In addition to being a generally bad webdesign, this behavior breaks the LJ-clone pattern of behavior, but *not* in a way that someone new to Dreamwidth can anticipate before it happens, and not in a way for which the user can mentally model a benefit in the change of behavior. (I understand that this was introduced as part of an enhancement -- making the inbox mark entries as read when they are acted upon [ http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1284 ] -- but there's no way to know that without having read the bug.)

Poll #765

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 45

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
29 (64.4%)

Should be implemented with changes.
3 (6.7%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
9 (20.0%)

(Other: please comment)
4 (8.9%)

Comments

[cesy]

Hmm. And from the sound of it, it wouldn't be easy to make it an option to choose which behaviour you want.

In Gmail, I definitely prefer that links in emails open in a new tab by default. I haven't got used to it in the DW Inbox yet.

Could the suggestion be fixed simply by making it clear somehow that links will open in a new window, so that users don't get confused? Then it wouldn't be an "unannounced" browser takeover.

[yvi]

Could the suggestion be fixed simply by making it clear somehow that links will open in a new window, so that users don't get confused?

Yes, that would also be good. A grey (opens in a new window) or something, until someone can think of a way to fix this?

[zvi]

Yes, but in g-mail, every link in every e-mail does that. It breaks the normal behavior, but it's consistent enough that people learn it quickly.

With the DW inbox, it only happens the first time you click on a link to manipulate or view the comment in its original context, I think.

And I'm not saying anything bad about Jenn, but when a person who just learned Javascript a month ago says "I can't figure out a way to do X with Javascript", that doesn't mean it is impossible to do X with Javascript.

[cesy]

Ah, I hadn't realised it was only the first time you clicked it. That is something that needs changing, then, as that kind of inconsistency is hard to learn, as you say.

[melannen]

Oh, is *that* what gmail thinks it's doing. (In my browser, links in gmail e-mails fail to open in any tab at all. I have to copy-paste the urls if I want to see them. I haven't had to do that since I was using pine. Oh, gmail, you fail so hard.)

Anyway, yes, I definitely vote that we fix this; like zvi said, it's unexpected behavior, and the behaviour's not consistent across messages or across users, as so many people have special settings for pop-ups.