This is an eternal topic.
In my opinion, RAM is cheap nowadays, and I can tolerate the clutter of tabs. After reading a post, I can easily click the side mouse button to close the tab, instantly return to the previous tab, and continue browsing the post titles. This operation works smoothly for me.
However, I can't tolerate frequent forward-backward navigation, mainly for the following reasons:
- It occupies two side buttons — one for going back and one for closing the tab, which makes the operation redundant.
- Page loading takes time, affecting fluidity.
- The position of the previous page might not be recorded properly, or the insertion of new posts might disrupt the original order.
Moreover, the site seems to not support opening posts in new tabs by default, and the userscript I wrote often fails.
I prefer the default open in a new tab interaction. Even in Chrome's bookmark bar, I spent a lot of time and effort making it open in a new tab by default.
As for the middle mouse button, I simply can't accept it:
- The middle mouse button is usually hard to press, and frequent clicking isn't as comfortable as using the left button.
- Using a touchpad requires separate mapping, like command + left click. What should be a one-handed task turns into a two-handed one, which is very inconvenient.
What do you think is the best interaction?
RAM is cheap nowadays, but unfortunately, not in the Apple world. 
With opening links in a new tab, you might run into issues sometimes. Some websites are packed with tons of JavaScript that prevent this behavior. It can also cause problems with buttons in forms. At the BTT level, I don't think you can differentiate what you're clicking on in Chrome.
An alternative to a middle click could be clicking both the left and right mouse buttons simultaneously. I don’t think BTT supports such a trigger out of the box, but it might be possible to add it.
Unrelated but FYI: you can achieve this by using a left or right-click with an advanced trigger condition that checks the currently_pressed_mouse_buttons variable for the other button also being pressed.
1 Like
I believe the best approach is for the forum to provide options to everyone. The BTT forum should be based on discussion, and I've previously developed a plugin that opens posts in a new tab by default. I may work on another one later, but it seems that I'm the only one who needs this feature. You all seem to prefer the forward and backward interaction method. I find it too slow; even though I’ve mapped the forward and backward actions to the left and right swipes of the right mouse button, I still think it's not as quick as simply pressing a side button to close a tab.
I don’t know if you’re the only one, but I click differently depending on the context:
- When I’m doing research, I open lots of windows in the background and come back to them later. (Cmd+LeftClick or MiddleClick)
- When I’m searching for something on Google, I usually click to open the result directly in a new tab. (Shift+Cmd+LeftClick or Shift+MiddleClick). That way, I can close the page and return to Google.
- When I know I’m done with the current page, for example, intentionally clicking on a company address in a website footer, I use LeftClick.
I’ve got nothing against your way of working. I just suggested that if you find MiddleClick challenging because the scroll wheel is too stiff, an alternative could be using LeftClick+RightClick simultaneously. That works on any mouse, doesn’t conflict with other shortcuts, and still gives you the flexibility to use just LeftClick when needed (or required).
Thank you for your suggestion. I have now created a versatile Chrome extension that allows users to customize which elements open in new tabs. By the way, my method for switching between tabs involves moving the cursor to the top and using the scroll wheel, which is smooth and convenient. I hope this inspires you!
Is the extension publicly available? I might give it a try sometime; maybe it’ll change my current habits. 
