[Sigia-l] Usability of launching new browser window?

[Listera]

"Benjamin Protas" wrote:

> I can't argue with the cognitive load of the Back button -- however don't a
> bunch of windows present a cognitive load as well?  Certainly not when you
> have two side-by-side, but what about when you've been browsing all day and
> you have 50?  Did you remember to close them? Which ones do you still need?
> What happens when a site pops up a bunch of ads?  The back button does present
> a linear cognitive load, but it also does not clutter the interface.  Things
> remain simple and, at least, consistent.

I don't buy that. 

How exactly do you remember what was on a window 6 back-button clicks away?
How about the 27th one? Just because there appears to be no 'clutter'
doesn't mean that there's no 'cognitive' confusion. I guarantee that if you
click your back button 27 times, you will definitely get improperly
re-rendered/re-cached/re-served/etc pages.

Not everything you do and every site you go while 'browsing all day' are
equal in getting and keeping your attention. When you are going through a
banking process I bet you are paying more attention than if you were just
surfing through the Sigia-l archives. This generalized, amorphous 'rule' of
the back button may warrant a Jakob alert, but, like most anything else
grounded in reality, it all depends, on the circumstances, audience,
process, goal, etc.

Best,

Ziya