@pelaird, I had done about the same thing as in your referenced post. That is what made me start this thread.
I also am working with ObjectDock to try to get it to give me the results I am looking for. I have a thread in the other software forum about it. ObjectDock does almost everything but give the option to default to opening a new instance of a program with a single left click.
When I click on my browser, for instance, I want a new browser instance, not my existing open window. I use visible labels and never combine on my taskbar so I can pick the open window I want. BTW, I do not use tabs at all. I have a browser addon that opens any knew tab in a new window.