> people use React for everything, even static web sites, not only for creating reactive user interfaces. They do it because someone else told them so.

No, they do it because it's simpler.

Maybe they do it because they like React? :)

> Sure. The point is, people use React for everything, even static web sites, not only for creating reactive user interfaces. They do it because someone else told them so.

No, not really. There is more to picking up a tool than some rando's simplistic drive-by judgement. For example, say you have a React SPA managed by a team which built and manage their whole platform, from the CICD pipelines to the hosting solution. All your infrastructure was built around providing a React app and it's backing services. You are then suddenly faced with a need to implement a feature where a user after clicking on a link navigates to a page that just shows static text. Now think. If you implement that page with React then that's a one-point task. Just create a component, fill it with text, post a PR, done. What level of effort does it take you to implement that with another technology? If you go with the simplistic take that plain HTML is better, now you need to set aside time to sort out support for styling, sort out where and how to deploy those assets, work on a process to automate the deployment, etc etc. Now your simplistic drive for simplicity turned into something between a week and a month's worth of work requiring infrastructure changes and adapting deployment strategies, all of this requiring not-so-trivial QA and testing work.

What problems did you solved? Can you describe your system as simpler, and keep a straight face?

> They do it because someone else told them so.

Alternatively, they do it because if you are holding a React, everything looks like it should be implemented using a React. While the finished product might be more complex than needed, it is less complex for them, because they have used a tool they understand well.

> The argument is valid and doesn't need over analyzing.

No, it isn't. A big part in your failure to understand the problem is your refusal to look at what you're doing, which you try to dismiss as "over analyzing". As if reaching the conclusion that a simplistic proposal brings unacceptable tradeoffs means you are looking where you shouldn't.

> Using react for simple simple things makes it not simple.

Did you actually took any time to think through that assertion? I don't think so. For starters, you didn't even stopped to think why React is used at all. Why was that?

I wasn't trying to pick the analogy apart, I thought it was quite a good one and was running with it. I think it breaks apart though when you start talking about minor differences in wrenches though - it's not like the difference between Vue and Solid will make a significant difference when building an app. But between a screwdriver (jQuery) and a power drill (js framework), that can be very significant.

Yeah for sure. Sometimes my drill is not charged and it's easier to grab a screwdriver and give it a few quick turns (https://benton.codes/blackberry), or maybe I can't fit the drill in some space.

But normally I'll use the drill even though it's overkill, because I got other stuff to do :P