alt Hacker NewsLots of big claims, including bashing React and this seems to be a framework to build static sites, like blog posts with little to no reactivity?
Also, kinda silly to "appeal to authority" by invoking Dieter Rams. I understand that the author was inspired by Rams work, but this is akin to saying "My new framework is Iron Maiden" because I happen to really like maiden.
Replies
(replying to self)
I just checked out the demo site, and now I'm question their design choices as well.
https://simple-blog.nuejs.org/
Nue claims to be minimalist and an outright rejection of everything that is bloated. And yet, this simple page has an obnoxious blur. I get that it kinda looks nice on first load, but click around - the blur happens on each navigation.
This screams form over function if anything.
Agreed - I read the whole thing and I'm not sure what this even is. I guess an SSG and with a design system? If so, all the React bashing comes off like "airplanes are too complicated these days, check out this bicycle".
Edit: after checking the code samples, this looks a lot like svelte (pre-runes). So, single file components with templating with reactivity. I didn't get that at all from TFA..
Nue is currently mostly just for static sites, but as the article states the development is building towards single-page applications too, keeping the idea of separation of concerns at core.
For reactivity, Nue's client-side library provides the same capabilities as React (components, loops, state updates) in just 2.5kb through HTML-based syntax. But crucially, this interactivity is added to semantic content rather than replacing it.
The critique of React is best explained in this document:
Coupling content, styling and behavior into JavaScript components can easily turn into hard-to-read code that compounds over time. Nue proves you can build more sophisticated interfaces through web standards while keeping codebases lean and maintainable.
I think this Iron Maiden argument is best explained on the article, specifically on the section about the design engineering problem.
Bashing react today is like bashing Java in ~2010.
There are some valid criticisms of react but a lot of them want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, much like with many other mature technologies.
I celebrate people who can produce something innovative in the web development world, but at least produce something before making these grand claims while bashing what came before. Those abstractions are there for good reasons!