React and friends solves that problem for you. It was designed to be a UI layer for web apps. It does use the DOM at the end, but you are not managing it anymore.
I don't think the downplay of HTML/CSS (referring to it as hacks) is valid just because 30 years ago it was about document delivery. You have to start somewhere. It took a while and it made some people fed up with it, I've seen that. I still have some PTSD from hacking IE6, those were the real hacky days. Nowadays most stuff just works.
What we have as a spec is the lowest common denominator that passed the test of tons of communities and companies, and from this perspective it's incredibly successful.
I don't think the downplay of HTML/CSS (referring to it as hacks) is valid just because 30 years ago it was about document delivery. You have to start somewhere. It took a while and it made some people fed up with it, I've seen that. I still have some PTSD from hacking IE6, those were the real hacky days. Nowadays most stuff just works.
What we have as a spec is the lowest common denominator that passed the test of tons of communities and companies, and from this perspective it's incredibly successful.