I've come to believe the difference between framework-lovers and framework-skeptics is that one (larger) group is generally following a well-trodden path and do

I've come to believe the difference between framework-lovers and framework-skeptics is that one (larger) group is generally following a well-trodden path and doing only things the framework authors anticipated. Viewing a framework as a common architecture extracted from the experience of writing lots of software, this makes total sense. Most software looks like X, so a framework like X will look like most software. Those who have problems with frameworks are solving problems that are to some extent novel. Maybe only 10% novel, but that's still enough to feel like the framework is a straitjacket - because everything else is a solved problem and that 10% is the hard bit and the framework just makes it even harder. Perhaps some of those people could re-examine their problem and achieve it in a different way using the framework, but others couldn't. But to say "if you're not using a framework you're doing it wrong" perhaps exposes a lack of experience with unusual problems, and "all software ends up containing a custom framework" is confusing frameworks with architecture.