This is what I figured as well, but I also wonder if that's just because the devices we use haven't been built for this.

In other words, if public interest shifted to some kind of mesh network, perhaps the devices could be improved enough to support the load.

That said, I don't know much about mesh networking at all, the routing methods it uses, or if it's even possible to support what I'm talking about.

It also has to contend with the existing, established infrastructure so probably won't see many large investments any time soon.

I still think it would be a decent alternative to what we have now if it could overcome bandwidth/latency limitations.

Yep, but its all we are going to be left with.

Of course, at first it will suck, and it will be limited to neighborhood meshes.. from there perhaps it can start to branch out and connect to other neighborhoods, then city to city, until we finally have a decent internet.

Its going to be up to the web development community in its entirety- front and back end- to make the push, by showing neighborhoods that mesh nets are worth the investment.

Perhaps though, this is what we need to get a true internet. I'm curious as to how Berners-Lee and company would have redone it, perhaps they will have their chance.

That sounds like an implementation-bound constraint. Many technologies start out unacceptable for certain uses and mature to competency.

Adding lots of hops is going to slow down the connection. That's a limitation of the speed of light.

On the other end, with a mesh network, your packets are less likely to go through the whole state/continent to reach a node in the same town as you.