First of all, I wasn't referring to using any JS framework. I was talking about vanilla JS. Did you know that you can use JS modules now in every major modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firebox), with no build tool required? Now of course, for production deployment, you'll want to do a build so you can hit older browsers and less common browsers, and/or for performance reasons.
And yes, for "brochure sites", nobody should be using anything except for a static site with bits of progressive enhancement Javascript. Agreed.
On the other hand, you use the word "app". For a true app, you're going to need a JS framework. Trying to build an actual app, like Gmail or Slack, is a fool's errand using only server-side rendering. It's possible, but why would you want to do that to yourself? And even then, the user experience would be awful.
I really think web devs need to do a better job both among themselves and for the clients in differentiating between informational sites and brochureware, and true web applications (usually desktop app replacements, or related). The former should be built using static site generators and just bits of JS, whereas no-one is going to try to build a Slack competitor using a static site generator. There are a few projects I've seen that fall in the middle of the two, but those are relatively rare. Most of the time it's very clear if you're building a site or an app.
And yes, for "brochure sites", nobody should be using anything except for a static site with bits of progressive enhancement Javascript. Agreed.
On the other hand, you use the word "app". For a true app, you're going to need a JS framework. Trying to build an actual app, like Gmail or Slack, is a fool's errand using only server-side rendering. It's possible, but why would you want to do that to yourself? And even then, the user experience would be awful.
I really think web devs need to do a better job both among themselves and for the clients in differentiating between informational sites and brochureware, and true web applications (usually desktop app replacements, or related). The former should be built using static site generators and just bits of JS, whereas no-one is going to try to build a Slack competitor using a static site generator. There are a few projects I've seen that fall in the middle of the two, but those are relatively rare. Most of the time it's very clear if you're building a site or an app.