[all_factz]

React is hundreds of thousands of lines of code (or millions - I haven’t looked in awhile). Sure, you can start by having the LLM create a simple way to sync state across components, but in a serious project you’re going to run into edge-cases that cause the complexity of your LLM-built library to keep growing. There may come a point at which the complexity grows to such a point that the LLM itself can’t maintain the library effectively. I think the same rough argument applies to MomentJS.

[simonw]

If the complexity grows beyond what it makes sense to do without React I'll have the LLM rewrite it all in React!

I did that with an HTML generation project to switch from Python strings to Jinja templates just the other day: https://github.com/simonw/claude-code-transcripts/pull/2

[DrammBA]

Simon, you're starting to sound super disconnected from reality, this "I hit everything that looks like a nail with my LLM hammer" vibe is new.

[zdragnar]

That would go over on any decently sized team like a lead balloon.

[chairmansteve]

"React is hundreds of thousands of lines of code".

Most of which are irrelevant to my project. It's easier to maintain a few hundred lines of self written code than to carry the react-kitchen-sink around for all eternity.

[wanderlust123]

Not all UIs converge to a React like requirement. For a lot of use cases React is over-engineering but the profession just lacks the balls to use something simpler, like htmx for example.

[all_factz]

Sure, and for those cases I’d rather tell the agent to use htmx instead of something hand-rolled.

[zeroonetwothree]

Core react is fairly simple, I would have no problem using it for almost everything. The overengineering usually comes at a layer on top.