In response to your last point: take a look at some of the real world examples that use Backbone (http://backbonejs.org/#examples http://backbonejs.org/#example

In response to your last point: take a look at some of the real world examples that use Backbone (http://backbonejs.org/#examples http://backbonejs.org/#examples) as compared to builtwith.angularjs.org. Real, huge projects like Hulu, Soundcloud, Moviepilot, and USA Today are all using Backbone incredibly successfully. Backbone doesn't provide a lot of the "plumbing" that other frameworks like Angular, Knockout, Batman, Spine, et al have built-in, but it's got a lot more resources and community that work much better for doing only what you actually need.