Re:React Won by Default – and It's Killing Front End Innovation
by 827a on Monday September 15, 2025 @06:16PM
(#45255636)
Maybe it would be, but I would also make a significant bet that the web would be noticeably less sophisticated without React. React is complicated, and builds complicated apps, and has its performance pitfalls, but it is also a driving force for how the web has been able to achieve native-class user experiences. Its the right programming model for building complicated things.
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Re:React Won by Default – and It's Killing Front End Innovation
by ricardobeat on Monday September 15, 2025 @06:26PM
(#45255715)
Websites were much more varied and creative in the jQuery era, and even more so in the Flash era that came before. Different interaction paradigms, wild animations, full-screen effects, etc etc. Not necessarily "better", but React didn't really enable anything we couldn't have before - even today when real performance is required you will resort to canvas/webgl, alternative rendering approaches and skipping react's render cycle.
React was never [1] fast [2] - that is one of the biggest misconceptions in frontend development in the last decade.
[2] https://css-tricks.com/radeventlistener-a-tale-of-client-sid...
Re:React Won by Default – and It's Killing Front End Innovation
by scrollaway on Monday September 15, 2025 @07:17PM
(#45256138)
I wrote websites in the jquery era. I wrote web apps back then. Gaming tools, databases, tons of dynamic stuff.
When I used react for the first time I cried with “where has this been all my life? It would have saved me years of work”.
Whenever I see claims like yours I always have hardcore doubts. React may not have “enabled” new things just like ai coding doesn’t “enable” new things … as long as you consider time to be in infinite supply. If you care about getting shit done, there is no comparison.