Accessing hyperlinks
I was going through the forums, and it occurred to me that it might be more convenient for users if clicking on a link in a post opened the link in a new window (target="_blank") instead of the current window. If you take a look at the forum for DMFA (http://www.missmab.com), you will see that it is set up this way.
I love the web site, and it helps me keep my sanity.
Following up on my own comment here, it occurred to me that there might be use for some sort of "expert mode" in the user settings page to allow the behavior of clicking on an external link to be changed according to each user's taste.
Any Drupal-heads out there want to play with modules and input filters? 
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Another option is to have Javascript that reads the cookies and then edits the links as necessary to ensure that items open in a new page. The code would be executed using the window.onload event handler and the only requirement would be to have an external link to the Javascript code.
Drupal uses the awesome jQuery Javascript library, so that may be possible! I will look into it at some future point.
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I don't know what web browser you use, and also I don't know if you use tabs, but I find that tabs help me keep my web browsing nice and tidy. If you're using firefox, safari, opera, or even newer versions of IE, you can open links in tabs. On Mac OS, you can usually bypass the whole right click menu, by holding down the command key, and click on the link -bingo- new tab opens with whatever you clicked on. On windows or linux, in firefox you can hold control to do the same thing. I haven't really played with other web browsers on other platforms, but there should be similar functionality for that.
An advantage to tabs is, being able to keep a bunch or related content together in one window. For instance, when I come here, I open a new window, and then I always go to the recent posts page. Then I open up tabs for each updated thread I find interesting. This is also useful for searches, and lots of things where you might be diving your attention. For me, other windows will have other things going on in them, like other forums, research, or email - and again each will have their own tabs. Currently I only have 15 pages open between 6 windows, but there are times where I go well over 50 pages open at a time, usually only in like 6 or 7 windows.
For that matter, firefox can also be customized with an add-on that allows those with three button mice (which includes every mouse with a scroll wheel that i've ever seen) to open any link in a new window, just by middle-clicking it. Saves me a lot of time if i don't have to remember if that was alt-click or control-click.
It can also be customized to accept mouse gestures ( you hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse in one or more quick connected lines) for all sorts of things like closing a window, going back to the previous page in the history, minimizing a window, opening a new tab...
Vive le firefox.
I prefer making my own decisions about what opens new windows and what doesn't. Control-click gets me a new tab, click doesn't, and either way I get what I want.
*nodnods* Me too. Center click gets a new tab, left click uses the current tab, right click gives me a handy dandy drop down menu... *grin*
As someone who has done web development for the last 9 years, opening things in new windows makes me wince. Why, you may ask?
It breaks the back button in the user's browser.
When a new window is opened, pressing back will not take the user back to the previous page. In fact, it will do nothing at all. This can be very confusing to folks who are not that computer saavy. (I'm looking at my parents here..)
From a design and UI standpoint, I feel that it is absolutely critical to make things usable by the lowest common denominator of experience and skill. Anyone who is above the level for which a site is designed will have no problems -- while anyone unfortunate enough to be below that level will have difficulty using the site, and may stop visiting.
For those more advanced users, there is always a right-click followed by "Open Link in New Tab".
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