React and friends solves that problem for you. It was designed to be a UI layer for web apps. It does use the DOM at the end, but you are not managing it anymor

React and friends solves that problem for you. It was designed to be a UI layer for web apps. It does use the DOM at the end, but you are not managing it anymore. I don't think the downplay of HTML/CSS (referring to it as hacks) is valid just because 30 years ago it was about document delivery. You have to start somewhere. It took a while and it made some people fed up with it, I've seen that. I still have some PTSD from hacking IE6, those were the real hacky days. Nowadays most stuff just works. What we have as a spec is the lowest common denominator that passed the test of tons of communities and companies, and from this perspective it's incredibly successful.