[TekMol]

    you could do it automatically by assuming that some
    attribute like `data-bind` corresponds to a binding

Yes, that could be done. That would mean to extend Simulacra. Or do it outside of it.

To me personally, <div>{{NAME}}</div> is easier to read and reason about. Also, it enables you to do stuff like

    <div>{{CITY}} has {{POPULATION}} residents</div> 

Which is much shorter then

    <div><span data-bind="city"></span> has <span data-bind="population"></span> residents</div>

You can also do other useful stuff. For example:

    <div class="{{STATUS}}">{{MACHINE}}</div>

And then style different statuses via CSS.

[daliwali]

Sorry, but avoiding templating syntax was really a hard design goal. It may not be a tool for everyone.

The reason is that every templating language I've used either is or becomes a Turing-complete language by itself.

[TekMol]

What would force you to make your own templating language turing complete?