"Still there are many times where a new window would seem more logical and convenient, e.g. clicking a thumb in a gallery." 

True, but even there, the choice should be up to the user. I would definitely object to links being forced to open in a new tab. Hopefully the people asking for that realize that they have that  option already, either by default or a simple browser setting. We should be adding to choices, not removing them. Perhaps a better alternative would be a little education, posting a sticky with the new tab options for the major browsers. H opefully this isn't one of those done deals. 

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken