One part of React that I've always championed is how it's just JavaScript. I like that in React you don't use a distinct template syntax and instead embed JavaScript, compared to Svelte's templating language

I will always find React's approach easier - at least in my head - and I think more friendly to people familiar with JavaScript who are learning a library.

Another important MicroJS attribute is independence. Ember, Backbone—even Bootstrap to a degree–have hard dependencies on other libraries. For example, all three rely on jQuery. A good MicroJS library stands by itself with no dependencies. There are exceptions to the rule, but in general, any dependency is another small MicrojJS library.

D3 now passes events directly to listeners, replacing the d3.event global and bringing D3 inline with vanilla JavaScript and most other frameworks.

My frustration is mainly from Svelte's choices that are very un-JavaScript-like. It doesn't have to be "like React/Vue". React is React because it doesn't restrict what you can do with JavaScript for the most part. It's just common FP practice to fold/map.

If the react cargo cult didn't have the JSX cowpath paved for them and acclimated to describing their app interface with vanilla javascript, they'd cargo cult around that. It's really about the path of least resistance and familiarity.

One of the arguments that's frequently deployed in favour of JSX-based frameworks over template-based ones is that JSX allows you to use existing language constructs: