And I'm not sure I'd say passively reading is something we ever do on the web. Consider nytimes.com redesign -- it uses app concepts for a sidebar while devoting all attention on the prose in front of you. You can even navigate using arrow keys, though that could be improved: first time I do it, use a popup to let me know what happened and how to undo. The point is, the app-ification of the web is upon us, we just have to find language and frameworks that will best support it. Both client-side and server-side are necessary at points.