diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 56233b03..6c89795e 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -30,13 +30,10 @@ Version 1.0 (not yet released)
     port (2005-Dec-22)
   * make "default_root" option optional. When no root is specified,
     show a page listing all available repositories (2005-Feb-04)
-  * make "checkout_magic" obsolete (but still enabled by default for
-    URL compatibility with old versions of ViewCVS). When disabled,
-    bare file URLs (with no query parameters) will return checked
-    out file contents instead of log listings. That way, checkout
-    URLs no longer need magic /*checkout*/ strings in them for 
-    relative links and image paths in checked out HTML files to work
-    (2005-Feb-13)
+  * add "default_file_view" option to make it possible for relative
+    links and image paths in checked out HTML files to work without
+    the need for special /*checkout*/ prefixes in URLs. Deprecate
+    "checkout_magic" option and disable by default (2006-Apr-03)
   * hide CVS "Attic" directories and add simple toggle for showing
     dead files in directory listings (2004-Jul-31)
   * show Unified, Context and Side-by-side diffs in HTML instead of
diff --git a/lib/config.py b/lib/config.py
index fb2161fa..7dc277d7 100644
--- a/lib/config.py
+++ b/lib/config.py
@@ -179,6 +179,8 @@ class Config:
     self.cvsdb.rss_row_limit = 100
 
     self.options.root_as_url_component = 0
+    self.options.default_file_view = "log"
+    self.options.checkout_magic = 0
     self.options.sort_by = 'file'
     self.options.sort_group_dirs = 1
     self.options.hide_attic = 1
@@ -193,7 +195,6 @@ class Config:
     self.options.allow_annotate = 1
     self.options.allow_markup = 1
     self.options.allow_compress = 1
-    self.options.checkout_magic = 1
     self.options.template_dir = "templates"
     self.options.docroot = None
     self.options.show_subdir_lastmod = 0
diff --git a/lib/viewvc.py b/lib/viewvc.py
index 553de19d..dce1d150 100644
--- a/lib/viewvc.py
+++ b/lib/viewvc.py
@@ -353,16 +353,13 @@ class Request:
           else: 
             self.view_func = view_cvsgraph_image
         elif self.query_dict.has_key('revision') \
-                 or not cfg.options.checkout_magic:
-          # if checkout_magic is disabled the default view is view_checkout
-          # so relative links inside checked out files will work
+                 or cfg.options.default_file_view != "log":
           if self.query_dict.get('content-type', None) in (viewcvs_mime_type,
                                                            alt_mime_type):
             self.view_func = view_markup
           else:
             self.view_func = view_checkout
         else:
-          # without checkout_magic, the default view for files is view_log
           self.view_func = view_log
 
     # if we have a directory and the request didn't end in "/", then redirect
@@ -454,13 +451,9 @@ class Request:
 
     url = self.script_name
 
-    # no need to explicitly specify checkout view for a file
-    if view_func is view_checkout and pathtype == vclib.FILE:
-      view_func = None
-
-      # add checkout magic if neccessary
-      if cfg.options.checkout_magic: 
-        url = url + '/' + checkout_magic_path
+    # add checkout magic if neccessary
+    if view_func is view_checkout and cfg.options.checkout_magic:
+      url = url + '/' + checkout_magic_path
 
     # add root to url
     rootname = None
@@ -536,6 +529,14 @@ class Request:
         and params.get('r2') is not None):
       view_func = None
 
+    # no need to explicitly specify checkout view when it's the default
+    # view, when checkout_magic is enabled, or when "revision" is present
+    if view_func is view_checkout:
+      if ((cfg.options.default_file_view != "log" and pathtype == vclib.FILE)
+          or cfg.options.checkout_magic
+          or params.get('revision') is not None):
+        view_func = None
+
     view_code = _view_codes.get(view_func)
     if view_code and not (params.has_key('view') and params['view'] is None):
       params['view'] = view_code
diff --git a/viewvc.conf.dist b/viewvc.conf.dist
index 52a4d989..2e4d6ff6 100644
--- a/viewvc.conf.dist
+++ b/viewvc.conf.dist
@@ -256,26 +256,31 @@ languages = en-us
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 [options]
-### DOC
 
 # root_as_url_component: Interpret the first path component in the URL
 # after the script location as the root to use.  This is an
 # alternative to using the "root=" query key. If ViewVC is configured
 # with multiple repositories, this results in more natural looking
-# ViewVC URLs and allows you to browse checked out HTML files with 
-# relative links to other repository files within ViewVC.
+# ViewVC URLs.
 # Note: Enabling this option will break backwards compatibility with
-# any old ViewVC URL which doesn't have an explicit "root" parameter.
+# any old ViewCVS URL which doesn't have an explicit "root" parameter.
 root_as_url_component = 0
 
-# checkout_magic: Generate checkout links with a magic *checkout* prefix.
-# This option is enabled for backwards compatibility with URLs used by old
-# versions of ViewVC. If you disable it, old *checkout* URLs will continue
-# to work, but old log page urls which don't have explicit "view=log" 
-# parameters will load checkout pages instead. It is recommended that you
-# disable this option in a fresh viewvc installation, or if you don't need
-# to support old-style log URLs. 
-checkout_magic = 1
+# default_file_view: "log" or "co"
+# Controls whether the default view for file URLs is a checkout view or
+# a log view. "log" is the default for backwards compatibility with old
+# ViewCVS URLs, but "co" has the advantage that it allows ViewVC to serve
+# static HTML pages directly from a repository with working links
+# to other repository files
+# Note: Changing this option may cause old ViewCVS URLs that referred
+# to log pages to load checkout pages instead.
+default_file_view = log
+
+# checkout_magic: Use checkout links with magic /*checkout*/ prefixes so
+# checked out HTML pages can have working links to other repository files
+# Note: This option is DEPRECATED and should not be used in new ViewVC
+# installations. Setting "default_file_view = co" achieves the same effect
+checkout_magic = 0
 
 # http_expiration_time: Expiration time (in seconds) for cacheable
 # pages served by ViewVC.  Note that in most cases, a cache aware
diff --git a/viewvc.org/upgrading.html b/viewvc.org/upgrading.html
index 3c38a9e8..59cac21b 100644
--- a/viewvc.org/upgrading.html
+++ b/viewvc.org/upgrading.html
@@ -100,19 +100,19 @@
    is also possible to enable a backwards compatibility mode by
    setting <code>utc_time = 0</code> at the top of lib/dbi.py</p>
 
-<h3>URL Compatibility</h3>
+<h3>"checkout_magic" Option</h3>
 
-<p>In it's default configuration ViewVC 1.0 will continue to work with
-   bookmarks and links from old versions of ViewVC, ViewCVS, and
-   CVSWeb. But if you change options that affect the URL scheme, this
-   may no longer hold true. In particular, if you enable the
-   <var>root_as_url_component</var> option, old viewcvs URLs that
-   don't specify an explicit root with the <var>root</var> parameter
-   will not work. Likewise, if you disable the
-   <var>checkout_magic</var> option, old URLs that that pointed to log
-   pages and don't have explicit <var>view=log</var> parameters will
-   load checkout pages instead.
-</p>
+<p>In ViewVC 1.0, the <code>checkout_magic</code> option has been
+   disabled by default to provide a simpler URL scheme that works
+   safely with URL authorization. Most users will not notice any
+   difference in behavior, but users who had been using ViewCVS to
+   browse the contents of static HTML pages stored in a repository
+   may notice that links and images in those pages targetted at other
+   files in the repository no longer display correctly. The new
+   <code>default_file_view</code> option can be used to solve this
+   problem and, if neccessary, <code>checkout_magic</code> can also
+   be re-enabled. The <code>viewcvs.conf</code> file describes these
+   options in detail.</p>
 
 <h3>Configuration Options</h3>
 
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@
   <li>options/http_expiration_time</li>
   <li>options/generate_etags</li>
   <li>options/root_as_url_component</li>
+  <li>options/default_file_view</li>
   <li>options/sort_group_dirs</li>
   <li>options/use_pagesize</li>
   <li>options/limit_changes</li>
diff --git a/viewvc.org/url-reference.html b/viewvc.org/url-reference.html
index cbf8ff3c..8c0356da 100644
--- a/viewvc.org/url-reference.html
+++ b/viewvc.org/url-reference.html
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ th.caption {
   <tr>
     <td><code>view=co</code></td>
     <td>depends</td>
-    <td><a href="#view-param"><code>view</code> parameter</a>, not needed if the <code>checkout_magic</code> configuration variable is disabled since that makes the checkout view the default view for file paths. Also not needed if the <code>/*checkout*</code> magic prefix or the <code>revision</code> parameter is present.
+    <td><a href="#view-param"><code>view</code> parameter</a>, not needed if the <code>default_file_view</code> configuration variable is set to <code>co</code>, since that makes the checkout view the default view for file paths. Also not needed if the <code>/*checkout*</code> magic prefix or the <code>revision</code> parameter is present.
   </tr>
   <tr>
     <td><code>content-type=<var>TYPE</var></code></td>
@@ -637,7 +637,7 @@ th.caption {
   <tr>
     <td><code>view=log</code></td>
     <td>depends</td>
-    <td><a href="#view-param"><code>view</code> parameter</a>, does not need to be specified for file paths when the <code>checkout_magic</code> configuration option is enabled</td>
+    <td><a href="#view-param"><code>view</code> parameter</a>, does not need to be specified for file paths when the <code>default_file_view</code> configuration option is set to <code>log</code>. However it is recommended that the parameter be passed anyway for consistency with directory log URLs and compatibility with ViewVC installations that set <code>default_file_view</code> to <code>co</code>.</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
     <td><code>logsort=<var>SORT</var></code></td>