i edited my original comment because it didn't come out right. I already read the article before, but for me the solution would be an dynamic system that only serves whats possible. For simple static sites this should be not too complicated.
Having to use webpages like we are in the 90s again doesn't seem like a good solution, or at least i don't like it (of course the opposite is also not exactly successful. AMP is being forced upon everybody for a reason).
> Having to use webpages like we are in the 90s again doesn't seem like a good solution
You underestimate the tools you have now. Mobiles are mostly on Android 4.4+, which gives us fairly advanced CSS support for example. There is a plethora of oldschool JS which can be easily replaced by simple CSS rules, a trivial example: resizing images to viewport - just use vw and vh as units, done.
I remember the word DHTML too well to know how easy it is to misuse JS. Always have a working, HTML (and maybe CSS) only solution first, especially, if you content is text. Only after this add the JS, and make whatever you want with it, make it fancy, part-reloading, whatever, but first make sure you can load your content, because that is the main reason for the site. (Again, not talking about webapps. Loading gmail is an idiotic idea on a GSM connection, just use IMAP and an offline client, if that worked during the 80s and 90s, it'll be fine.)
Apply GPRS cap in Chrome and see what's it like in rural ENGLAND. Not India, not China, the very middle (maybe not the actual, geographical middle, but you get my point) of the UK, with terrible signal reception. ( F12 -> network -> 'No throlling' dropdown ).
https://mbasic.facebook.com is a thing for good reasons. (and, by the way, a good way to browse FB without giving them the ability to trace everything via JS).
So no, not like the 90s: do it for modern browser, but the energy, bandwidth and cpu efficient way and don't block text with JS.
No one can afford not to be accessible from billions of devices from millions of people from outside of "The West".
The web sucks if you have a slow connection (danluu.com) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13601451