[datacruncher01]

From where the web started to now, the complexity makes sense. There were tons of browsers all implementing html, css, and javascript with their own quirks not to mention their own additions. For example, the father to all modern live websites, XMLHttpRequest is a Microsoft invention that was originally intended for Outlook web mail.

Honestly, it's more of the speed of design that drove the complexity. Everyone had some specific niche that they picked up and due to the volume of demand for web development there was bound to be many different approaches tried.

Eventually, that's going to mature down to a few different standards. That's already happening with web browsers, for practical purposes we have three current browser engines today, down from who knows how many.