They should use a browser that's not so brain-dead that it can't tell that the forward and back buttons are for zipping through pages that
are
already open and should not be loaded all over again.
My suggestion: a very simple change would reduce this load on the server considerably: add target="_blank" to each link on the 'recent
changes'
page only. Now articles will be shown in a new window. The 'recent changes' list will only be refreshed when the user explicitly asks
for
it (via refresh button or menu click). This may alleviate slow
response
times somewhat.
Have you considered a browser that provides tabbed browsing?
Follow up suggestion: make Wikipedia block all MS Explorer users. It will probably reduce traffic by 90%. Get real. This is the world we live in: web designers will have to adjust to their user base not vice versa.