I'm really glad they don't! There's so many ways to ask for a link to open in a new tab, but it's much harder to make links open in the same tab once target=_blank is set.

Use the middle mouse button to open the link on a new tab

Click with middle mouse button

It should be an option IMO, I prefer not ending up with loads of tabs. But definitely good to have the option for those who do.

I wrote a script that makes Lemmy links on old.lemmy behave this way (like you like them on reddit).

You can use it as a bookmarklet or if you use grease/tampermonkey you can apply it to the site automagically.

just middle click

I'm sick of things that open new tabs when I don't want them to and those stupid JavaScript.void() """"links""""

Agreed! Especially since the behavior on clicking a thumbnail isn't very consistent on mobile. Sometimes I click the thumbnail and it expands the image. Sometimes it follows a link. Sometimes going back from a link takes me back to the same Lemmy page I was on, but other times it reloads the page and I can't find the post I was looking at anymore. An option to open all links in a new tab would really help me not lose the post I was looking at when I clicked.

On windows you can use Ctrl+click to open in a new tab

Click down on your scroll wheel with the mouse when hovering over a link to open in a new tab

Me too! Yes, workarounds exist.

But I wonder, for who is it actually more convenient to override the current lemmy tab with the target?

I understand if it is used like some one-off search engine, to find a particular content and move on. But I assume most people use lemmy more as a permanent place. Wouldn't it benefit more people to open links in a new tab by default?

You can use Greasemonkey plugin in your browser to modify link behavior of Lemmy instances web page. Should not be too complex script.

I think a user script or extension could solve that. Im sure a lot of people on lemmy can make one. I hold ctrl while clicking links so this doesn't bother me.

I do, too. You should post your commentary on the GitHub issue.

At least as a user preference.

I highly agree. So many times I click on links thinking I am going to expand an image only for it to navigate away from Lemmy altogether. I'd also like any image that is auto included from a link to another site to expand like a directly uploaded image would expand. Then only clicking on the link is what opens a new tab.

This is probably my biggest complaint with Lemmy. There are a number of Greasemoney scripts to improve things like that but I've had mixed results.