Ask HN: Why Htmx So Controversial?

[martinbaun]

It seems like people either hate it or love it? Personally I love it, so I can't really see why you would hate it. What are the great arguments against it?

[PaulHoule]

I like it. It is a perfect framework for my smart RSS reader and my image sorter where I want to do some simple things like putting up modal dialogs, implementing multiple-stage selects, combo boxes, things like that.

React can handle apps with much more complex state and do really amazing things like

https://aframe.io/

but it is overkill for the common form applications it is commonly used for.

[martinbaun → PaulHoule]

Well I (and my company) do VueJS as well and the time to make a product is usually like 2/3x longer with VueJS and it is not server side rendered so bad for SEO. AND not as robust.

What we normally do is sprinkle HTMX/AlpineJS/VueJS(cdn version) into SSR apps and they are seemlingly looking like SPAs

[recursivedoubts]

it’s a very different way of thinking about web development and has it’s strengths and weaknesses so it’s easy for someone who is really deep in the SPA/reactive JavaScript world to look at it and say “this is stupid, whatabbout…”

also my twitter account is a strong drink compared to most tech accounts which alienates some people (“but you have heard of me…”)

[martinbaun → recursivedoubts]

Yeah, like they say that the people behind the old paradigms have to die before new paradigms can emerge.

What's your twitter? You're the author of Hyperscript?

[recursivedoubts → martinbaun]

https://twitter.com/htmx_org

yes, i created htmx.org and hyperscript.org

[martinbaun → recursivedoubts]

Cool! Thank you :)

You brought a lot of joy back to Web developing for me. I have gotten a little insane from the "modern js" frameworks, and it is so refreshing.

[recursivedoubts → martinbaun]

:) very glad to hear that

[martinbaun → recursivedoubts]

And I am already following you and your memes :P

https://twitter.com/MartinBaunWorld

By the way, did you see Primeagens' HTMX intro? :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7v6SNIgJpE

[caprock]

Most of the controversy is tongue in cheek fun, from the numerous co-ceo staff. It's hard to keep so many people aligned.

Perhaps though, it's because it offers significant difference to the deep abstractions embraced by r eact and friends.

[martinbaun → caprock]

maybe it is, HTMX people and the founder also seem to be great at memeing and making controversy hehe.

Yeah, a completely different "new"/(kinda old) way of doing stuff.