React has become the 'linux kernel' of modern software development. The industry has broadly standardized around its 'syscall interface', from vendors shipping hooks or components as their SDKs, to LLMs being trained to generate it. The metaphor holds further. Today, Linux is mostly used in the form of distributions that bundle it. Most users are oblivious to what kernel version they're even running, because they're interested in a working operating system with all the necessary tools to be productive, as well as an app ecosystem, support, and security patches. A lot of people start using React by (sometimes unknowingly) assembling their own 'distributions' aka frameworks. This is akin to checking out the Linux source, running `make vmlinux`, then re-assembling the operating system by hand. I think this is a very cool thing to learn and do, and early in my career I'm very thankful I bootstrapped my own Linux systems with projects like LFS and Gentoo. It built character 😆 and foundational knowledge. If you're building a product or a company, I strongly recommend you pick a distribution, not assemble one. Next.js is the most popular, but naturally many others have emerged: TanStack, Remix, Astro, Waku to name a few great ones, built by passionate, expert "kernel" engineers.