That's what middle-click to create a new tab is for.

> Even worse is when discussion sites (cough HN) whisk you away to a whole 'nother page to submit your comment, then dump you back to the thread afterward.

If HN were a single-page app, I wouldn't use HN. Period.

> Let's say you have a long list of topics in a sidebar on the left. If I find a bunch of topics that I want to read and they're in the middle of the scroll, I'll be annoyed if the whole page refreshes when I click on one.

Again, that's what middle-click is for.

> If I'm filling out a long form (like enrolling in school or applying for a job) and I enter something wrong, I want to know immediately.

Sure, that's a nice use for JavaScript. I just don't want to have to expose my entire system, and all my data, and every system I can connect to, to malware in return.