Question - Why does the tag URL-encode javascript and mailto links?
Answer -
The tag is not intended for use with client-side references like those used to launch Javascripts or email clients. The purpose of link tag is to interject the context (or module) path into the URI so that your server-side links are not dependent on your context (or module) name. It also encodes the link, as needed, to maintain the client's session on the server. Neither feature applies to client-side links, so there is no reason to use the tag. Simply markup the client-side links using the standard tag.