[tomcar288]

Don't blame yourself. Software engineering tools are supposed to serve the programmer, not the other way around. If a tool is too hard to use, then you're using the wrong tool. Tools should serve the developer. I would recommend plain old javascript with a light wrapper on top, like jquery. I know i'll get downvoted for this but a lot of "modern" javascript frameworks don't properly abstract the underlying layer properly (read Joel spolsky's article on leaky abstractions) and this results in a lot of problems. Furthermore, they optimize for the wrong thing: writing code. Most engineers spend 95% of their day reading code and that's a lot harder than writing code.

[moffkalast]

it's true, React, Angular and other popular heavy frameworks aren't designed to serve the programmer, they're designed to serve the organization that owns the codebase by making turnover easier. They force a specific approach and layout new hires can be familiar with, regardless of if it's even a good idea for the application at hand.

[paulddraper]

With all due respect, this sounds like a "old dog"/"new tricks" scenario.

"What's this .map() nonsense? The indexed for-loop always made sense to me."

[ern]

There are certainly benefits from doing things in new ways, but a lot of the time things swing too far in the opposite direction, and become of a form of “IQ signalling” for smart developers.

It isn’t only front-end developers who are prone to this: 20 years ago, before FP became a mainstream thing, being able to do pointer arithmetic was seen as the differentiator between a “smart programmer” and a “bad programmer” (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/10/25/the-guerrilla-guid...).

Was React great and fun to work with? Yes, but then Redux came along and made something simple into something stilted. Our team used Mobx instead, which was simpler IIRC.

Similarly it’s been a couple of years, but I remember React Hooks being a bit complicated for the value we got out of them.

Ultimately, it’s hard to tell if something is an improvement, or a time suck to allow the elites to stand out. I stopped playing the game and stepped away from front-end development, as have many of my experienced colleagues.

I’m assuming things have settled as Big Tech focusses on profitability rather than funding an endless parade of frameworks, and the IQ-signalling will become less prevalent as generative AI competes with the brainiacs. When that happens, I’ll dip my toes back in the world of front-end development.

[paulddraper]

Redux has never seemed like a great solution for the programs I've written.

Though FWIW, MobX is far more magical than hooks.

[tomcar288]

well, those new tricks are going to bite you, later on down the road.