Open in new foreground tab is currently linked to "Cmd-Shift-Return".  Is that good enough, or do you also want 
Option-Return (Option and alt are the same key).

Please add alt-return.

http://codereview.chromium.org/218032/show

To keep things consistent, this will also make Option+LeftClick open in new foreground tab as well.  Does the 
Shift modifier keep its meaning here (does Option-Shift-Return open in new background tab)?

Does this need to go through Ben/Glen/Cole?

Do not make option-click open in a New Foreground Tab!  This should _only_ have an 
effect on the omnibox.  You should _not_ change the generic disposition oracle function 
(which should return SAVE_TO_DISK for alt-click).

I know it's inconsistent.  That isn't the point.  This matches years of other browsers' 
behavior.

The following revision refers to this bug:
    http://src.chromium.org/viewvc/chrome?view=rev&revision=27127 

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r27127 | rohitrao@chromium.org | 2009-09-24 14:45:17 -0700 (Thu, 24 Sep 2009) | 7 lines
Changed paths:
   M http://src.chromium.org/viewvc/chrome/trunk/src/chrome/browser/autocomplete/autocomplete_edit_view_mac.mm?r1=27127&r2=27126

[Mac] Support option-return to open in new foreground tab.

BUG=http://crbug.com/22882
TEST=Type something into the omnibox.  Option-return should open it in a new foreground tab.
TEST=After using Option-return to open something in a new foreground tab, switch back to the original tab and verify that the url in the omnibox has reverted to the original page's url.
TEST=Option-leftclick on a link in a webpage should still prompt you to "save as."
Review URL: http://codereview.chromium.org/218032
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4.0.219.4 (Developer Build 27365)

(+pkasting) Is there a way now to force download a URL entered in the omnibox? This
is what alt-return does in Safari, and at the moment I don't know how to do this at
all in Chrome.

No.

Just to save us both some time: if I would file a bug (expected behavior: alt-return
downloads the url, actual behavior: opens a new tab), would I get the same answer?

Yes.

When you say "This matches years of other browsers' behavior." do you actually mean "This matches years of 
*Windows* browsers' behavior."? Firefox does this on the Mac presumably because it usually does whatever it 
does on Windows. On the Mac, Safari and Camino download, and OmniWeb and Opera do nothing useful.

So the majority of Mac users use a browser with the comment 9 behavior. Why are their expectations about the 
behavior less valid than yours?

Please see email thread for discussion.