My biggest issue with React is how it mixes HTML in Javascript. Like putting HTML inside strings or whatever they are doing. Without proper tooling and an editor which supports it, you won't get anywhere. At least that's my amateurish feeling on React, my reason for avoiding it. I may very well be wrong, but I wouldn't know.
Of all the ways to write how your HTML is supposed to look from JavaScript, JSX is probably the closest to Javascript there is. It's a very simple syntax translation to JS function calls, and all code / logic is still plain JS. Every other template language that invents their own loops / conditionals / ways to insert variables is waaaaaaay further away from JS (and also still needs tooling and editor support).
... or don't write how your HTML is supposed to look from JavaScript.
I like Angular's approach the best. You have an HTML file, a SCSS file, and a TS file. The TS file is essentially your model and handles all the thinking. HTML/SCSS are kept declarative like god intended.
Do you genuinely think Angular's template language and all the complexity it comes with is better than JSX just saying "anything between {} is plain JS"?
You'd be wrong. JSX is just syntax sugar over manipulating nested JS objects which represent the state. Try React sometime, their docs are great: https://beta.reactjs.org/
Agreed. React reminds me of early days PHP. Which I supposed makes sense from an engineering org that was birthed on PHP. Separation of concerns?? NAHHH!!
