Correct: we used to write websites that were as simple as it was feasible for them to be, with as few client-side requirements as possible. It's the whole idea that "complicated web apps" are good things that I dislike.
Do you think Facebook could exist if we eschewed building complicated things on the web? The alternative is not building a simpler website, it's building desktop applications. Just because some developers choose the wrong tools for the job doesn't mean the tools aren't necessary.
Correct: we used to write websites that were as simple as it was feasible for them to be, with as few client-side requirements as possible. It's the whole idea that "complicated web apps" are good things that I dislike.