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

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?

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

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

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.

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.