> react does not play well with non-react javascript

I'm work on a somewhat older project (circa 2015) that started without react, and have also found that to be the case.

End-all-be-all web frameworks seem to be the rage now, but I'd prefer to see a solid library of micro-frameworks that can be stitched together (like jquery plugins, but better).

Also, the idea of a web server transferring over a huge javascript library and app just to load a single page seems wrong. There has to be a better way, a better amalgamation between server and client.