You're spot on — building large frontend apps without a framework is totally viable, and Obsidian is a great example. The key is leaning into web platform APIs and modular architecture.
Here’s how I approached it for www.lendcalculator.com, a browser-based financial tool with dozens of calculators and dynamic UI — all built without React, Vue, or Angular.
How to Build Large Apps Without a Framework
Use native modules + ES6 classes Structure your app like a library: each feature (calculator, modal, form) is its own module. Import/export keeps things clean.
Leverage Web Components (if needed) They’re part of the platform now — encapsulation, lifecycle hooks, and reusability without vendor lock-in.
Use vanilla JS + CSS for UI With querySelector, addEventListener, and fetch, you can build surprisingly rich interfaces. CSS Grid and Flexbox handle layout beautifully.
State management via custom stores or events You don’t need Redux — just use CustomEvent, localStorage, or a simple pub/sub pattern.
Routing with History API Use pushState and popstate to manage navigation. Works great for SPAs.
Build tools: Vite, ESBuild, or even just Rollup You can still bundle, minify, and hot-reload without a framework.
Projects to Study
Obsidian (as you mentioned)
CodeMirror — complex editor, no framework
LendCalculator — my own project, built with vanilla JS and modular architecture
Yes, this issue is real and affecting many Firefox users — YouTube videos show a black screen or error message, while working fine in Chrome. It’s not adblock-related, and likely tied to how YouTube’s new player interacts with Firefox’s rendering engine.
What’s Happening
YouTube’s new player rollout seems to be causing playback failures in Firefox.
Users report:
Black screen or “An error occurred” message
Videos not loading at all
UI glitches on mobile and desktop
Chrome-based browsers (Brave, Edge, etc.) work fine — suggesting a compatibility issue, not a network or account problem.
What You Can Try
Clear Firefox cache and cookies
Corrupted data can block video rendering.
Disable hardware acceleration
Go to Settings > General > Performance and uncheck “Use recommended performance settings.”
Try Firefox in Safe Mode
Launch with extensions disabled to rule out conflicts.
Switch to YouTube’s mobile site temporarily
Use m.youtube.com — it often bypasses player issues.Use an alternate browser until fixed
Only the incognito mode works, nothing else. Makes no sense to me. It's the second day now. Not sure if I should be angry with Google(likely) or Firefox for this. The main problem seems to be that some googlevideo.com subdomains are returning 403 errors. Strange thing is that in normal mode, the rr5 subdomain is called and returns the 403 but in incognito mode rr3 is called and that returns content just fine. I have no clue what picks the subdomains from which the videos are streamed.
That’s a fascinating way to frame it — treating news as a dynamic context window, like how LLMs operate. I agree that selective exposure shapes not just what we think about, but what we’re capable of thinking with. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces hidden.
At the same time, I wonder if there’s a balance. Curating context might be necessary for mental clarity, especially when the volume of global news is overwhelming. Maybe the goal isn’t to consume everything, but to design systems (or habits) that surface the most structurally important signals — the kind that shape long-term outcomes.
I’ve been working on tools that simplify decision-making in finance, and this idea of “context compression” really resonates. Curious how others manage the tension between staying informed and staying sane.
but to design systems (or habits) that surface the most structurally important signals
Right, the “filter”. Again, the simplest thing people do is put up their mental firewall and don’t manage the whitelist. That means things don’t even get through to be classified as important.
The other variant of that is there is no filter at all, but the person lacks the ability to classify anything as important (classified incorrectly).
If we filter correctly, and classify correctly, that’s probably best. The filter part is easy, just do it. The classification part requires, in my opinion, some kind of value system.
Exactly — the filter is only half the equation. Without a value system to guide classification, even well-curated inputs can lead to misaligned priorities. I think that’s where most people struggle: not just in filtering noise, but in knowing what matters to them long-term.
In finance, I’ve seen this play out when people chase trends without anchoring decisions to personal goals or values. That’s why I’ve been exploring ways to build tools that help users define their own “signal criteria” — not just what gets through, but why it’s worth acting on.
Would love to hear how others have built or discovered systems that help with this kind of value-driven classification — whether in news, tech, or life.
Totally resonate with this. I’ve felt the same frustration — especially when trying to make informed decisions as a citizen or entrepreneur. Most news feels reactive, not reflective.
I’ve been exploring ways to simplify decision-making in other domains (like personal finance), and I think the same principles apply:
Context matters — trends > isolated events
Follow-through matters — what happened after the headline?
Signal over noise — monthly summaries or curated dashboards could help
Curious if anyone here has tried building or using tools that track long-term civic or legal outcomes. Would love to see something like a “public impact tracker” that connects headlines to actual changes.
Thanks for sharing these tips — especially the mention of PlasticScore and independent lab testing. I’m working on a project that helps people make smarter financial and lifestyle decisions, and I’ve noticed how small choices (like packaging or product sourcing) can have long-term health and cost impacts.
Curious: have you come across any tools that combine environmental impact with financial planning? I’m exploring ways to make calculators more holistic — factoring in not just money, but sustainability too.
Here’s how I approached it for www.lendcalculator.com, a browser-based financial tool with dozens of calculators and dynamic UI — all built without React, Vue, or Angular. How to Build Large Apps Without a Framework Use native modules + ES6 classes Structure your app like a library: each feature (calculator, modal, form) is its own module. Import/export keeps things clean.
Leverage Web Components (if needed) They’re part of the platform now — encapsulation, lifecycle hooks, and reusability without vendor lock-in.
Use vanilla JS + CSS for UI With querySelector, addEventListener, and fetch, you can build surprisingly rich interfaces. CSS Grid and Flexbox handle layout beautifully.
State management via custom stores or events You don’t need Redux — just use CustomEvent, localStorage, or a simple pub/sub pattern. Routing with History API Use pushState and popstate to manage navigation. Works great for SPAs.
Build tools: Vite, ESBuild, or even just Rollup You can still bundle, minify, and hot-reload without a framework.
Projects to Study Obsidian (as you mentioned)
CodeMirror — complex editor, no framework
LendCalculator — my own project, built with vanilla JS and modular architecture