Annoying

March 4, 2007 11:44 PM

Why won't Yahoo let me open any front page links in a separate window or tab?

I'm using Firefox 1.5.0.1. This is a minor thing but it irritates the hell out of me. I want to click on news items and open them all in separate tabs. I can do this on any other web page anywhere in the world wide web, why not on the Yahoo home page?

posted by generic230 to computers & internet (7 comments total)

Because the Yahoo page designers are jerks and have put in Javascript on that page that disables the "new window/tab" function.
If you turn off Javascript you'll find it works again.
posted by todbot at 12:00 AM on March 5, 2007

That works. But, I agree, it's really jerky.
posted by generic230 at 1:29 AM on March 5, 2007

It's like that everywhere on Yahoo now.

The new photo albums can't do tabs (or new windows) either. Kind of a pain in the ass if you are working through a hundred thumbnails, one image at a time. Oh...of course they give you that tray at the top of the page that you can drag the thumbnails to, so you can view a slideshow when you're done browsing. Brilliant...
posted by Thorzdad at 4:54 AM on March 5, 2007

If you install the NoScript extension, you get site-by-site control over who is allowed to run their Javascript in your browser.
posted by flabdablet at 5:51 AM on March 5, 2007

Hmm, I'm not seeing this problem with Firefox 2.0.0.2 under Mac OS 10.4. Not sure if it's a difference in Firefox versions, or maybe you're using Windows and Yahoo isn't serving the relevant JavaScript to Macs?
posted by staggernation at 6:24 AM on March 5, 2007

I'm using Firefox 2.0.0.2 on XP Pro and don't have the problem either. I don't have the NoScript extension and my Javascript is enabled, though in the advanced settings, I've unchecked the types of Javascript mentioned there.

One of those options is to not let sites mess with context menus, so I checked all of the Javascript options to be available and restarted the browser and I'm still opening everything on Yahoo in both new tabs and new windows, either through the right-click menu or by control-clicking.

The only exception I've found so far is in their top two AJAXy panels (the overview and the "Welcome Username!" if logged in or Sign on/Sign Up panel if not), but the actual news panel below that (second down in the middle on my screen) opens in new tabs with no problems.

I checked over in My Photos, but it looks like the upgrade hasn't reached me there yet. Maybe there's a newer version of the whole site (like, not just photos) lurking out there that some of you have run into and others of us haven't?

Anyways, you might consider giving 2.0.0.2 a try (just install it into a different directory than your 1.5.0.1 in case you want to stick to that version) just to see if that works. If it doesn't right away, try that option in the Javascript Advanced settings area I mentioned above.
posted by Moondoggie at 7:18 AM on March 5, 2007

What Moondoggie said.
2.0.0.2 w/ XP Pro & Javascript enabled. Tabs work fine.
posted by juv3nal at 10:00 AM on March 5, 2007