That's true, keeping state and state changes separate from the UI is the default expected pattern in React, particularly with Redux. Or at least it was before h

That's true, keeping state and state changes separate from the UI is the default expected pattern in React, particularly with Redux. Or at least it was before hooks, which obfuscated the whole situation in my opinion. And it's true that this separation of state and UI is just a general design pattern, which can be implemented with a plain object and switch statement, or a small class with a few methods - it doesn't have to be state machines. So I'm with you in your conclusion, or skepticism perhaps - I prefer to apply the minimal pattern that achieves the same thing, rather than having to learn another state management library like Xstate or even Redux. But then again, I can see the value of such a library in a group/company environment, where you want everyone to learn and follow certain ways of organizing things, where new members can read the documentation, and understand how to add and change existing code in a predictable pattern.