[Forrest]

I guess I feel the need to come to the defense of web designers on this...

I do create pop-up windows like you describe. These are often used to display bits of information in, for example, the purchase path of a site. This way you don't have to leave the cart to read what a CVV2 code is. It allows us to create an easy checkout that isn't filled full of data that most customers wont need.

I also do it to respect the screen real estate of people with smaller screens. If I open a pop-up window that has the address bar, navigation bar, favorites bar, status bar... that eats up a lot of the screen and covers up the other window. I don't force it to a specific position, however. I also don't forbid resizing (and I don't think browsers should honor that either.)

I also open links to new sites in a new window. Same site, same window. I have been putting little icons next to external links to help users know it will open a new window.