Fear of the Back button

The Back button. I fear it. I fear the little attendant menu, now available in more recent browsers, that allows me to skip back to an arbitrary page in my surfing history.

This becomes a problem while noding, because sometimes I'll go to a node, where there are a lot of soft links listed just below, and that's fine; but sometimes there will only be, like two. Then, it feels like the path ahead has grown narrow and unclear, like a dark tunnel. I have to carefully consider between my dwindling options, trying to predict which will have more related nodes attached. I get really sweaty when I have to endure a whole series of such nodes. I can't count on hard links within the text of the node, because they may not actually be there. No related nodes at all! Then, I get to a really healthy one with, jeez dozens of related nodes! What a relief! I can breathe easy.

This happens at the Jargon File website, too.

I don't fear the Forward button because it always remains faded. Inaccessable and benign.

There should be another classification for nodes. Along with thing and idea and all, there should also be fear.

I fear the back button because it is unpredictable and easily angered. Especially the IE back button.

It is irregular. Sometimes you go back, sometimes not. Sometimes only the frame goes back. Sometimes the whole page goes back. I'm never sure.

This is why I type in all my URI's, instead of using bookmarks or the back button.

Sometimes the button breaks.

Actually, your worst fears about the evil Back Button, though perhaps initally griped in jest, are well deserved.

There is a security bug in Microsoft Internet Explorer that allows scripts to be embedded in URLs. When you press "back" from a "Local" Internet zone such as an error page, the script is executed in the Local zone. A malicious web site could then read files on your computer, execute programs, and delete your 20 page E2 writeup drafts.

More details: http://online.securityfocus.com/archive/1/267561.