Comments on: How to format comments

By: LizPf

LizPf — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:25:57 +0000

Kathleen, I don’t know if you are familiar with Macintoshes, but they have a one-button mouse, and the Mac equivalent of right click is Control-click. So Tracey may be using a Mac.

In most Mac browsers, Command-click (not control) opens a new tab. This is the behavior I like, and for me, holding a key while I click is automatic.

By: graham crackers

graham crackers — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:37:23 +0000

I’m a bit late to the party, but I would like to point out that firefox and IE can override the target=”_blank” thing by chosing where to open the file with the context menu.

I prefer the new window thing to preserve continuity and make it easier for less skilled tech folks.

By: Alice

Alice — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 22:09:38 +0000

OK, I am a devoted reader of this site and numerous others but I never knew how to format comments. Thank you!! I’ve been using CAPs for emphasis, trying to keep that to 1-2 words because CAPs are obnoxious. Kathleen, Thank you for this tutorial and information on opening links in another window. I can never remember which I’ve done and often click out of the site I am reading inadvertently when closing a linked to window. I hope this makes sense because I’m not sure right now.

By: moss

moss — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:26:22 +0000

firefox user here, and I am used to opening in a new tab.

By: Liana

Liana — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 05:43:36 +0000

Yes, we all know you can right click to open a new window, it’s just not as user friendly as if it would automatically do it itself. I learn which sites open new windows for me, and which ones I have to do it myself, and yours is one of the latter. If you don’t want to change, you certainly don’t have to, but I don’t see what you’re gaining. As I said in my earlier comment, it will make no real difference to habitual readers, we know we have to do it ourselves. It’s the newcomer who may possibly be inconvenienced, at least the first time.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:57:36 +0000

Okay, I just ran Internet Explorer and you *can* right click to open a new window. So I think the best solution is to tell people they need to use their right mouse button to click on links, when the right click menu pops up, they select new window and away they go. F-I stays loaded in a window.

By: Liana

Liana — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:17:31 +0000

I vote for new windows for new links. I hate having to go Back to read the rest of your post, and click Open in a New Window, or remember to go back after I finish with your link, and sometimes if the link you gave was something that led to other things, you may be quite a ways back.

You have often mentioned how backward and tech-unsavvy industry people can be, so why not cater to the unsavvy? You don’t want them to go from your site, never to be able to find it again. I’m sure this happens now and then. Also, even if the new Windows Vista will have tabbed browsing, I doubt that everyone will instantly go out and get it when it comes out. I know quite a few people who are still on OS’s quite a few versions back from the newest. (I also know people who can barely bring themselves to click on any link, as it’s so scary. They would never find the Back button.)

By: Alissa

Alissa — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 01:04:41 +0000

I don’t know how they’re planning to manage it, but I hear Windows Vista will have tabbed browsing…so maybe this is a short-term (or even vanishing) issue?

By: J C Sprowls

J C Sprowls — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 23:46:48 +0000

My opinion is to encourage the use of Firefox/Mozilla. Simply because I love tabbed browsing and annoying popups, viruses, etc.

However, in the development world (which is heavily influenced by Microsoft products), the standard is to open new content (i.e. links) in new windows. The presumption, of course, is that a user will only open as many windows as they can manage.

Of course, practical experience tells me this assumption is archaic. I’ve never once seen a user only open one or two windows – littering the screen is more like it.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 23:17:49 +0000

I talked to Miracle about the clicking thing and she says I’m being pig-headed. She says she told me to do that long ago. She says that now, because she’s running Firefox, it’s not a problem for her but she remembers when she didn’t have it and it was a problem. We’ve decided I should do a poll.