Of course I may be behind the latest fads in web development but isn't the purpose of javascript to enhance the web pages and not to substitute/break functionality which the browser is perfectly capable to deliver with pure html. Like ... scrolling.
There is one essential use case of client side script being necessary for a better browsing experience: Endless scroll instead of pagination. Pages for query results is a big reason why older web apps feel much more restricted compared to their desktop counterparts. Being able to stream data however requires JS on the client, since it doesn't fit into the classic GET requests. Having to program a fallback pagination just for people with noscript is not worth it IMO.
I use NoScript and Ghostery to prevent tracking. There are certainly legitimate use-cases.
Your comment is difficult to comprehend, and low on information. Why should the year have any effect on whether users should use NoScript?
In the future, I would recommend going into detail rather than being dismissive.
Edit: ah, you were quoting the parent. I'm not convinced that excuses it. Sites should degrade gracefully, as users are becoming more aware of tracking technologies and taking steps to prevent it. Example: Tumblr actually fails to work with Ghostery enabled.