Modern day frontend is ridiculously complex. Back in the day, the only compilers that tried to do code splitting and optimization across network boundaries were ASP.NET WebForms and similar. They were dreadfully simplistic compared to the SSR+ react-streaming-over-the-wire that Vercel is doing. Don't get me wrong, the React compiler written in Rust is leagues ahead of the slow tech in for example the angular world, but it is also magnitudes more complex.
I see this as a side effect of developing economies in the world coming online. When you have to service millions in places with poor network and provide a competitive UX, you don't have the luxury of going with "simple" solutions.
I see this as a side effect of developing economies in the world coming online. When you have to service millions in places with poor network and provide a competitive UX, you don't have the luxury of going with "simple" solutions.