If you want to learn the core protocols, couldn't you just start off with basics? Static HTML pages, maybe a bit of PHP for a server-side intro? JavaScript on y

If you want to learn the core protocols, couldn't you just start off with basics? Static HTML pages, maybe a bit of PHP for a server-side intro? JavaScript on your simple HTML pages? Sinatra if you want to jump into a simple Ruby web-app DSL? Pretty much all frameworks seem complicated to me next to the core protocols. However, that's why I use them: they abstract the core protocols that I already know how to use, and make me more productive. If you're just getting your feet wet, don't jump into abstractions, and get down to the basics.