You don't actually say what sort of links you are talking about, but it makes a big difference. If I'm just browsing around a website, I don't want every page to open in a new tab/window, I want the web pages I'm navigating to to replace the current page.

But when I click on a link to a particular product, or gallery image maybe, then I want the page I came from to go to the background, so a new tab/window would be in order.

In other words, I don't believe there is a single answer to the question. it depends on the purpose of the hyperlink. You need to be a little more specific.

By the way, the "open in new window" function in XHTML is intended to allow the user to specify whether the link will open in a new window, or in a new tab. This is controlled by the user's browser preferences, not directly specified in the link attributes. I'm pretty sure the hyperlink target attribute to force a new window is deprecated in XHTML.

(edit) some redundant info here due to cross-posting. Never mind.

"If I were a shadow, I know I wouldn't like to be half of what I should be."
Mr Otsuka, the old black tomcat in Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)