JavaScript links are evil

From Nick Jenkins
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Please don't use javascript for your links. Use standard HTML instead.

For example:

<a href="#" onClick="MM_openBrWindow('images/storyimages/040504_incident_report.html','','scrollbars=yes,width=840')">report</a>

There is simply no reason whatsoever for it. This works just as well like this:

<a href="images/storyimages/040504_incident_report.html" target="_blank">report</a>

And this:

<a href="javascript:KODAK('1.html')"  ...

Would become this:

<a href="1.html" target="_blank" ...

This has the following advantages:

  1. No loss of functionality - in fact, more functionality.
  2. Works even with Javascript turned off.
  3. Putting the cursor over the link shows in the status bar what it is - something that you don't get with JavaScript.
  4. Users hate popup windows.
  5. Works especially well in tabbed browsers (and now that IE7 has been released, every major browser is now a tabbed browser).

Sites asked to consider above change[edit]

Site Date
SpamGourmet disposable email service. 15-Feb-2006
Pictures of Hong Kong buildings. 27-Feb-2006