Re: Break out links-How are they done?

Thanks for all your feedback on my post about break out links.

1. I feel it is a shame that the wiki publisher does not have the option to code break out links to external web sites. It is very easy for those new to computers to head to a new link and forget what they originally were looking for on the original wiki. Then they leave our wiki.

2. When I send someone to an external link from my wiki, I am not responsible for the content of that external site. Sometimes "newbies" may think that I created the external link page too.

3. FYI... I am a Mac user using FireFox. To make a break out link, all I have to do is hover over the link, press lightly and choose "Open link in new window".

4. The wiki I am developing is here http://www.christianmedia.ca

Thanks again for all of your comments and words of wisdom. This is a very helpful listserv!

David Spencer Ontario, Canada

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David Spencer wrote:

August 8, 2006

Hello:

Break out links-How are they done?

Hi David,

I remember seeing this topic here a few weeks ago. The answer was that MediaWiki will never be scripted to do break out links because break out links are bad Web design. Web site visitors are supposed to control that part of their own Web surfing experience, not Web site authors.

Click on a normal Web link with the *middle mouse button* and see how your browser behaves.

Roger :-)

------------------- From: Simetrical

They aren't. You'd have to hack the software. This is a deliberate design decision, I believe: the user's browser gives them ways to decide where to open a link, and overriding them should be unnecessary. Let the user decide whether they want a new window or not.

----- Just because I'm controversial I'll disagree. Gmail, for example, always opens *every* external link in a new window. It works extremely well - you never have to worry about "losing your gmail window". It wouldn't be a bad thing if MediaWiki did similar - you're unlikely to really want to navigate away from Wikipedia, for instance, when you follow a link - most likely you'll read it then want to come back.

The user's browser can override any behaviour, but that's not to say that providing good default behaviour isn't necessary.

Steve

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On 8/9/06, Steve Bennett stevage@gmail.com wrote:

...

Since we've established that you can override the suggestion provided to the browser, no one's forcing anything...

I missed where we established how an average user (IE or unextended Firefox, say, with default settings) is supposed to a) determine in advance that a link will open in a new window/tab and b) override the behavior and open it in the same window/tab. I can do the latter via a Firefox extension, but even that requires two clicks plus picking an option out of a context menu rather than just middle-clicking.

------ On 8/9/06, Tels nospam-abuse@bloodgate.com wrote:

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Mouse middle click opens the page in a new tab (!) for me in

firefox - left

...

click in the same tab. (Who wants a new browser windows, anyway?)

I tend to use new windows for new "themes" (work vs personal browsing, Wikipedia vs organising a holiday). 2-3 browser windows is a good total number.

...

So let _me_ decide where I open up links, and stop trying to force me.

Since we've established that you can override the suggestion provided to the browser, no one's forcing anything...

Steve

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For a highly interactive site, new-windows make sense... but I don't really see it making sense for MW.

-- Ben Garney Torque Technologies Director GarageGames.Com, Inc.

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