Hyperlink prefixing :: Visual hinting of target window

We are all familiar with hyperlinks: Objects (usually underlined text w/ bluish tint) over which your mouse pointer changes to a hand and transport you to a new location if you click them. Beam me up, Scotty!

One weak point about textual hyperlinks is that, you do not know in advance whether the current frame (the tab & the window) will change upon clicking:

• You either go on with the current tab at the current window,
• Or, you start a new tab. This new tab may be at the current window, or perhaps a new window will be hosting the new tab.

Studying the status line prompt may help to differentiate, but this is not a very user friendly solution and even if you are willing to show the geeky effort required, it just does not work in all cases, not to mention lack of support for the new window option altogether.

The significance of the matter is that, if you have a slow Internet connection (or a fast connection with a big download in progress), or if you are browsing a slow web site, or if the pages are very large, it is more practical to open a link in a new tab and then close it, than to open the link in the same tab and then to hit the back button to go back. As it is not obvious if the link will open in a new tab (indeed, the default is to recycle the current tab), you would right click over the link and hunt for the "Open in New Tab / Open Link in New Tab" command in the context menu, or if your non-mouse hand is available, you may "Control-Click (to new tab & current window) / Shift-Click (to new tab & new window)" the link.

If you wish to provide for this need and arrange for links that obviously will open in a new tab with the standard left click, drum roll please, I propose that you prefix the link text with a graphic up arrow thus suggesting new tab; this will happen in the same window. For example, do you feel like this link hints that a new tab will open if you left-click it: ↑Résumé of Sahin Kupusoglu

My original proposal was to use a star/multiplication sign: *, but I now find that the up arrow is more intuitive and more aesthetic.

For links into the same page, that result in a scroll (quite useful for long documents), I received a cool proposal from Orhan Kupusoglu: why not prefix them with a number/sharp sign #, which also happens to be the character signifying local anchors? For example, try this: #Top of Page

You are kindly encouraged to experiment with these ideas if you see the least bit of merit; drop me a line too!

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