[mnkypete]

You'd think that choosing a stack based on your target audiences computing needs would be more common.

Choosing React over vanilla JS is not only required for simple state things imho - for complex state I'd even say some may use something like Redux/MobX. The development experience and speed vs vanilla JS is just unmatched. The amount you need to worry about adding / removing classes, with implicit state all over the place will soon slow you down soon much because of all the edge cases you haven't thought of.

I hope nobody starts off development for new apps in 2020 based on pure JS - even if you explicit target ultra-low-end devices, maybe try a lighter framework like preact (et al).