Let me quote the OP:

> I'd like to hear about different approaches others are using to write web sites or apps today. What languages, frameworks, or libraries are you using?

So the question as I understood it was not "what truly novel and unique approach you're using that no one else has before?" but more of a "what non-mainstream approach you're using?". And what I'm doing is definitely non-mainstream.

Actually, the title of the post specifically says "novel tools". That apparently didn't make it into the body of the post, but almost everyone is primed by the title to expect novel solutions in the answers.

That said, I don't think there's any harm in reminding people that there are plenty of non-novel solutions already that they might not have fully considered.

He is using a novel templating library, novel HTTP server, novel JS diffing algorithm ... and this approach has generated more questions than any other on this thread so clearly it is unfamiliar to much of the audience.