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For my part, I actually wonder if there's also a certain gatekeeping element that also fuels the popularity of frameworks like React? Turning things into JavaS

For my part, I actually wonder if there's also a certain gatekeeping element that also fuels the popularity of frameworks like React? Turning things into JavaScript-heavy single-page applications has, I would assume, an effect of shutting out people who are good at HTML+CSS, but less so at JavaScript. I don't know how likely a profile that is nowadays because I'm buried deep deep deep in backend-type work, but it used to be fairly common to have front-end people like that who were stronger on design than programming. Is this a form of unwitting rent-seeking behavior? Has the profession created an artificial supply-and-demand problem by convincing the managers of the world that they need expensive single-page applications built by Software Engineers™, when a (less expensive, I'm assuming) Wordpress site developed by a web designer would have sufficed? For context on where I'm coming from: I've mostly been a back-end developer for a couple decades. I've known HTML and CSS since the '90s, of course, I'm just now starting to learn Web development in earnest, mostly as a hobby. I'm finding React's learning curve to be just incredibly steep. For the stuff I've been doing, I've had a much easier time getting acceptable (to me) results out of a more oldschool-flavored tech stack, with server-side templating and a moderate sprinkle of vanilla JS. No, it's not fancy, but I'm not looking to flex; I'm just looking to whack together a website that looks nice.

nobleach 5y ago
I'm not sure I'd go down that road. I totally agree that for websites, Wordpress, SquareSpace, Gatsby, Hugo, and a host of other static sites work just fine. Where I find it hard to make the stretch is, these are not the type of sites your average JavaScript app developer wants to work on. They'd probably be just fine NOT touching that. I know the past few places I've worked, I've never touched the slick "brochure/marketing sites". I think that type of thing is better left to someone who has really honed their HTML/CSS skills. I don't see a whole lot of reason why anyone would want to turn that type of site into an SPA. I'm not saying developers don't have an attitude problem. We often do. I just think you might be assuming malice where there might be none.
- mumblemumble 5y ago
  Definitely not trying to assume malice. I meant it when I said, "unwitting".

nobleach 5y ago

I'm not sure I'd go down that road. I totally agree that for websites, Wordpress, SquareSpace, Gatsby, Hugo, and a host of other static sites work just fine. Where I find it hard to make the stretch is, these are not the type of sites your average JavaScript app developer wants to work on. They'd probably be just fine NOT touching that. I know the past few places I've worked, I've never touched the slick "brochure/marketing sites". I think that type of thing is better left to someone who has really honed their HTML/CSS skills. I don't see a whole lot of reason why anyone would want to turn that type of site into an SPA. I'm not saying developers don't have an attitude problem. We often do. I just think you might be assuming malice where there might be none.

mumblemumble 5y ago
Definitely not trying to assume malice. I meant it when I said, "unwitting".